O Negative
by Moral Pass
Summary: Modern SQ AU; After losing a bet made in high school, Regina is honor bound to donate a kidney. Emma Swan who only has one semi-functional kidney left has been on the wait list for four years due to having a rare blood type it was difficult to find a match, until Regina comes along. Maybe it's the kidney, maybe it's fate, but they can't seem to help but run into each other.
1. Chapter 1

As Regina was being wheeled into the operating room she couldn't help but be clouded by a moments feeling of doubt. What the hell was she doing?

It was the dumbest thing, really, she and Kathryn had made a bet back in high school that the first to have a child would be safe from donation of a kidney. Why? They didn't know, maybe it was partially due to Regina's fear of children and Kathryn's fear of surgical supplies, but really, they were sticklers for a good competition.

Here she is, fifteen years later, about to donate a kidney to a total stranger. When Kathryn gave birth about a year and a half ago, the bet had been completely forgotten, but three weeks ago she had called Regina at an ungodly hour screaming about that bloody bet that should never have been made.

"No, no! We shook on this, we wrote this in the dictionary of our friendship!" Kathryn had protested when Regina simply laughed and denied that they were serious about that. "You have to. What do you need two kidney's for anyway?"

Regina had argued that she may want to take up rugby or some other violently out of question sport. Kathryn merely laughed and told her that if she did, she would give her her own kidney in return.

So, here she was, clad in a hospital gown with a face pale enough to call translucence. The scent of hospital and what she had deemed 'the live essence of misery' lingered in the air and stuck to the hair of her nostrils. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she wished that she had it in her to back out of this, but alas.

" _And what if I don't? Hm? What then?" She asked, sipping a glass of juice alongside Kathryn and her daughter Gin._

 _The honey blonde shrugged and swallowed her mouthful. "Nothing." Regina relaxed. "You will just have to live the rest of your life knowing that you, Regina Mills, are a fuckin' pussy."_

 _Regina's lip twitched into a scowl as she violently gulped her beverage, Kathryn knew just how to pluck her last nerve. "I'm not a pussy." She said simply and stood._

" _Eh!" Kathryn called. "You're supposed to watch Lifetime with me!" She whined as Regina sauntered to the front door._

" _Like I said," she returned, "not a pussy."_

Regina had stood by that pact and now, she was being rested back onto the table, her hair in a cap, her cheeks rushed with the blood of her unopened body. This, would soon change, that is what scared her the most. The best part, she would have a new scar to stare at and name, give a personality and a story. This one, a good one. Actually, the best part of this all was being able to help someone in need of it. You know, without having to listen to them cry or bitch about their first-world problems that Regina, could truly not care lass about.

"Ready?" The eyes of a nurse came into her bleary vision. Regina nodded, opening her mouth but unsurprised when nothing but a cracking gush of air flowed out. Soon, she was under the spell of a drug that she wished she knew the street name of.

Across the hall in a separate room, lay a waiting Emma Swan, she'd been on the list waiting for a kidney for the past four years. She had a rare blood type, O Negative and was beginning to think she would never find a match.

It was ironic, well not ironic, but comically tragic that on her twenty first birthday she had gone out and drank enough alcohol to stop the function of her kidney. One was able to be saved, but the other, removed. Which in any other case, would be enough to continue on a life of normalcy, but the other had been failing and is weak enough as is.

So, it was an absolute godsend when a match came up, even more so in New York. Now, three weeks later, the day is here and she is on the table ready to receive a new organ. It was crazy to think that in a few hours she would have the organ of another stitched into her body and helping her live again.

A nurse came up and placed a mask over her face with a look of determination, she hadn't even asked if Emma was prepared when she pumped her full of a gas that put her to sleep before she could blink twice.

When Regina came to she was back in the room she had been fasting in for the past two days, she knew that she could do it at home, but she didn't trust herself to be around the culinary creations of Granny, who never stopped cooking. Her Granny believed it to be her purpose in life to make the best and most wonderful of everything.

Except coleslaw, which she believed to be an absolute abomination. However, she was sure if it she didn't have self respect, she would make the best of that as well.

So, she entered the hospital two days prior where for one she was fed some bland version of broccoli soup for one, then nothing but water for the next.

Now, she felt utterly exhausted and sitting up was enough a struggle to blur her vision with that lightheadedness that came along with virtually any physical activities she attempted. Even getting up in the morning. Or at night when she needed to use the restroom just after she was settled.

Except now it was worse, since she was condemned to this cot, she could feel the invisible cuffs that linked her to this damnation. If she were in the mood to speak to anyone, she would ring the nurses button, since she would rather die of starvation she decided to fall back onto the most uncomfortable of pillows with cases made up of a fabric the equivalent of table clothes, until she did just that.

However, the world was on the side of currently pessimistic Regina and a rush of a blonde mess whooshed into the room with a balloon that had to be custom made that read 'not a pussy' in large pink bubbled letters. As well as a bag that she could only pray contained food.

"Hello, hello!" Kathryn chirped as she moved to the wall and pulled a seat over to the beside. "So, how does it feel knowing that you have been violated?"

Regina rolled her eyes and gave a weak chortle. "Like victory."

"I thought I was the victor?" Kathryn asked, appalled.

"You thought." Regina assured. "Is that food? Did you food?"

"No, I did not food, Regina." Kathryn replied sarcastically. "I did however, _bring_ food."

"You know what I meant, asshole." Regina sat up.

"God, you look like me after birth." Kathryn gaped. "And you know that wasn't pretty."

"Come on, I don't look that bad." Regina sighed with a laugh, tucking a stand of hair that felt more like a handful of hay behind her ear.

Kathryn nodded, eyes wide with a proofing chuckle. "Oh, yes you do, honey, do I need to get a mirror?" She asked and started to stand.

"No!" Regina said forcefully and reached out to her weakly. "I don't care how ugly I am, I just want to eat." She whined.

Kathryn sat back down and pulled out tupperware containers of food. "Granny insisted that I bring you something home made, and not by me of course." She titled her head and placed the still warm containers on Regina's quilted legs.

"Is she coming down?" She asked, curling her icy digits around the warmth and pulling it to her chest, it was roast beef stew with seasoned carrots and potatoes, one of her favorites.

"Yeah, later, Ruby had found a place that was renting cheap downtown."

"She's really going to do it."

"Yep, Granny's Diner is up and swinging." Kathryn nodded, swiping a fork and handing it to Regina. "David and I are investors." She quirked a brow.

"Oh, is that right?" Regina said between bites.

"Mhm." She nodded. "However, we won't be expecting profit."

"Not very smart on your part, then again, that is to be expected." Regina chewed.

"Oh, ha-ha. That's a lot of talk for someone who just gave a kidney because she had too much pride to give up a bet that she made in high school."

"You called me a pussy."

"Actually, I called you a _fucking_ pussy. There's a difference." Kathryn clarified.

"I was insulted either way." Regina assured. "Now you can never call me either."

"I don't believe in your use of the world 'never,' dear." Kathryn mocked.

Regina shook her head and continued to eat her food, which she would later throw up, it was most definitely better going down than coming up, but the coming up was nonetheless satisfying.

Emma woke to the sight of her mother flicking through the channels on the small flatscreen overhead the small cabinet in the pale orange room that looked as if someone tried to cover up an orange juice stain with milk. It was just bordering on repulsive, and if she cared just a strand more she would ask to be moved, but she was over the moon.

Not only did she have a functioning kidney now working within her body to sterilize fluids, but she had her mother here from Maine for two whole months. The last time she'd been up longer than a weekend was when Emma had failed a course in college and Mary Margret had come up to crack down on her to retake the exam and write up a ten minute speech as make-up for slacking off. Which is definitely not what she did when her mother, who made her wake up at 6:30 each morning to first, walk her dog, then cook breakfast, then study until five. Only breaking for lunch, which she was not allowed to leave the apartment to get.

No matter, she passed the class and was just now graduating with her master's in business and Literary arts. Her dream was to become a teacher, like her mother, but more for middle to high school students instead of elementary. This is because she always wished that she had a teacher like the one she hopes to be in high school, attentive to progress but not process. As when she was in school it was all about homework and excess amounts of studying, which put a colossal amount of unnecessary stress on her, especially due to the fact that this was the case for each one of her core classes as well as electives that she hardly got to enjoy fully because she was majorly pining over other more 'important' classes.

Glad to be through with that and now in almost absolute health, she was ready to move forward with her career and life outside of it.

"There is never anything on." She croaked, her mother turned her head and broke into a watery grin, scooting the chair to her bedside.

"How's my bug?" She asked, taking Emma's hand in her and placing a kiss on her knuckles. "Hm?'

"I'm," Emma fluttered, "great. I'm, really."

Mary Margret smiled and sighed dreamily. "You sleep well?"

Emma nodded quickly and stretched, cracking her neck to one side then the next. "Sorry." She let out with an apologetic laugh at her mother's appalled expression.

"You know, one day your head is just going to fall off." She said as if it were the truth and nothing but.

"I know, Ma. That's all you ever told me as a kid." Emma answered.

"It's true, and you have scoliosis," she went on.

"I do not have _scoliosis."_ Emma replied defensively.

"Well, you should, never sitting up straight," Mary Margret pointed out.

"Okay, woah, woah, wait!" Emma stopped. "I just had an invasive procedure and you want to insult me on my posture?" She asked, mocking insult.

"Your lack of, yes." Mary Margret nodded and sat straighter.

"That hurts, Ma. It really does." Emma turned her head away, then back as she winked at her mother and moved the bed so she could sit up.

"You hungry?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think I'm supposed to eat." Emma rubbed her eyes, seeing a universe in the closed lid.

"Nonsense!" Mary swatted the air. "You, need to eat. They, can not keep you from proper nutrition."

"Well if I throw it up anyway, then isn't that on you."

"Emma, no. You will not be throwing up anything. I will get you broth."

Emma nodded, brows raised. "Scrumptious." She replied. "Hope it's grade A."

"Stop being so sardonic." Her mother said, standing and heading out of the room.

Emma's head fell to the side where she was met with a window, shutters just barely allowing for a gray stream of light to flutter in. Outside, it was almost as if she could see the shifting seasons, from summer to fall. September was coming to a close but it was just beginning to pick up a chill. The city was, in the summer, the equivalent of being stuck inside of a microwave on low. Hardly any circulation and a constant flow of heat beating down until all the sweat from all inhabitants who are not condemned to the comfort of the indoors is sucked from their pores to float in the air, leaving them sticky, wet but dry, and above all else miserable.

Despite this, she loved the city, the hustle and the shocking amount of homeless people, and diversity was a nice change from where she grew up. Storybrooke was the poster child for small town America. It was stuck in the eighties by look and size, it hardly grew and seemed to be ten years behind the rest of the world. Her parents, had just recently gotten IPhones and only had cable in the living room. They were happy, to be out of the loop, not totally consumed by technology. That wasn't their thing either, they'd been together for thirty years but still couldn't get enough of each other.

They would rather have a picnic than watch a movie, cook a meal than go out, they were simple, and adorable. Emma had always admired their love and devotion to one another. She was glad to have been born under such picturesque circumstances, for the most part. She knew that she had it better than the vast majority of people in the world and she didn't take that for granted. The girl had freedom, foundation, and morals and that was more than a lot of kids could say.

Emma smiled just as her mother came plucking into the room, her face flushed. "Oh my god, Emma." She said quietly. "Down the hall this old man tripped and I didn't mean to laugh but, he only took one step and fell, it was so," she covered her face. "it was so funny."

"Is her okay?" Emma chuckled.

Her mother shook her head furiously. "No, that's the worst part he- he broke his hip."

"Oh my god, Mom!" Emma threw her head back.

"I didn't know, but he looked up and the nurse was," She shook her head. "I just walked the other way, they seemed to have had it covered."

Emma laughed a moment more. "No _broth?_ " She asked pointedly.

"Oh!" Mary Margret brought her hand to her head. "I forgot, I totally forgot."

"Wow, Mom, really inconsiderate today, who are you?" She asked.

"I'll be back." She said determined and stood. On her way out she ran into the threshold, patting it and turning to Emma with an embarrassed grin. "Yep." She said and hurried out.

Emma chuckled and closed her eyes, she felt tired but was too excited to sleep, she was bed ridden for the next week or so.

Minutes later her mother was in the room once more, with a face that could only be described as bleak. Emma looked suspiciously at her. She sat down and looked at Emma a moment. "She said no." She said and Emma pressed her lips. "Until later."

"Okay, Mom, thanks." Emma said in an understanding tone, she didn't really care about the food, she wasn't hungry for broth either way, or any way, who ever ate broth willingly?

"So, do you know who it is?"She asked.

"Who?"

"The donor." She said.

"Oh, uh, no, anonymous, requested." Emma nodded. "I know it's a woman, she had blood type O neg and, she saved my from a life of dialysis twice a week." She shrugged.

"Well, bless her." Mary Margret returned.

"Yeah," Emma said in a breath.

"Should we go on a stroll?" She asked.

Emma pursed her lips. "I can't really walk." She countered.

Her mother pointed to a wheelchair by the wall. "Chair." She said.

"Oh, okay, yeah." Emma nodded. "Sure."

"We don't have to if you don't want to." She answered dejectedly.

"No, no, yeah let's go." Emma answered, she really didn't want to go, but her mother would likely sulk until she did, so may as well.

"Help?" MM asked, pushing the chair over to the bed, holding out her hand.

"I'm okay." Emma replied, getting into the chair with less of a struggle than she would have thought, but in her lower abdomen she felt an ache. "Shall we?"

"We shall!" Her mother chirped and wheeled her out of the room.

The entire thing was sort of embarrassing, even in a hospital where everyone was sick or with the sick. Having someone push you around in a chair, it was like a more demeaning version of being a child in a stroller. Except when it's a wheel chair there is probably a good reason to be in it except for the simple fact of being a kid who will run off the first chance that is given.

Emma leaned into her hand as her mother rambled on about home and what everyone has been up to. Emma didn't care really, she didn't live there anymore and the gossip was just meaningless, but her mother liked to talk, so she listened. It wasn't often she got to, even their phone conversations were cut short as Emma was always busy or would just rather do something but catch up on how 'Mother Superior isn't actually a virgin.'

As her mother carried on Emma saw another woman in a wheel chair waiting by the front desk. She stared a bit too long, as the woman looked entertainingly agitated at whatever the receptionist was saying.

"My _cell phone."_ She iterated, taping the desk that she could barely see over. "Cell phone, I gave it to you to keep safe, and I need it."

"No, Miss. Not here." The nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry, I wasn't on shift yesterday. I can-" She began.

"This is idiotic!" She yelled. "Who runs this place?" She turned red.

"Miss calm down, you'll-"

"I'll what? Rip your goddamn head off?" She shook her head and pointed at the woman fiercely. "You find whoever was on shift last night and you tell them that if they don't give me my goddamn belongings I will destroy them if it is the last thing that I do."

Emma smirked at her fire, her mother however, not impressed. "Some people have no consideration." Emma didn't need to turn around to see the disgust imprinted into her mother's features.

"Yeah." Emma nodded, but her voice held no matter. She watched as a tall brunette pranced over and led the woman's chair over, towards them, smiling an apology to the girl behind the desk.

They were coming towards Emma, she didn't know what to do, she tucked a loose strand behind her ear, the woman in the chair wore a scowl as she and Emma had a stare down as she passed. Emma smiled shortly, she thought, but it was more of a frog like press of the lips.

The woman nodded and looked forward.

Emma didn't know why, but she turned around to see just where she was headed, the lanky guide pushed into a room just across the hall from her. Emma decided that she would give a visit, just for the sake of friendship.

"No, mom, really." She insisted. "I'll be fine, plus, you said your back hurts and that's probably from these chairs. My bed is way comfier, I promise, and you can come back first thing." Emma assured.

"I don't want to leave you here, Em."

"I know, but Ox is there and he needs a friend. He's probably sad that I haven't been home in a couple of days, I'm sure he'd love someone to snuggle with." Emma referred to her best friend and royal pug, Oxford. After the dictionary, because why not?

Mary Margret looked hesitant, but finally sighed and nodded. "Okay, but I will be back first thing." She assured, leaning in to the bed to wrap Emma up in an attempted hug. "I love you." She said.

"Love you, too." Emma replied stiffly. Her mother hovered by the door then gave a wave and headed out. Emma rang the nurse's button ten minutes later, to be safe and had the man help her into her chair. Emma thanked him and refused his offer of assistance, she had been able to eat and retain broth, and felt strong as an ant. So, strong for her size and situation, but not strong in a universal sense.

Wheeling herself around the halls with bright buzzing lights beating down onto her, making her feel exposed, she felt like an ant. It was unlike her to be in a situation where she didn't feel like she had complete control of herself, not since the night that changed her life.

Her twenty-first birthday, it was supposed to be fun, it was, until she showed up. Lily, who was the girl she had been seeing. Lily was eighteen, graduating high school when she and Emma met while crying in Central Park in the middle of the night, swinging on the equipment that needed to be greased.

" _What happened to you?" Emma asked, sniffling as she walked up and took a seat._

 _Lily looked up, her features dark and solemn. "Got kicked out." She said, her tone breaking as she tried to sound stable._

" _You okay?" Emma asked._

 _Lily let out a laugh without humor. "You kidding? I'm livin' the life." She motioned around weakly. "The fuck kind of question is that?" She asked._

" _I don't know." Emma shook her head. Lily looked over to the blonde._

" _What about you?" Lily nodded. "Are you okay?"_

" _Yeah, I mean, I'll get over it. Didn't lose my home or anything."_

" _Doesn't take away your right to be sad." Lily answered._

 _Emma smiled weakly and nodded. "Guess you're right." She said. They stayed there for a while, sitting in silence and letting the breeze that was neither warm nor cold overtake them. "You need a place to stay?" Emma asked._

" _I don't even know you." Lily replied a minute later._

" _Well, I don't know you either." Emma huffed._

 _Lily puffed a laugh. "Point taken."_

" _So that's a yes?" She asked._

" _Yeah, guess it is." Lily said and smiled._

After that, Lily ended up staying with Emma for a year, until it all went to hell when Emma started seeing Him, who's name she doesn't say. Long story made bearable, Lily and she had been together, Emma didn't want to accept it, she tried to block out the feeling she had for Lily, she cheated, Lily found her at the bar, clusterfuck of cuss words, tears, punches, and then nothing. That was the night, the night that was supposed to be fun, the turning point of her life, and it was, but not in any sort of good way.

Now, this was a new beginning, everything that happened in the past is gone but not forgotten, she had learned from is and moved past it, because that's all that's left to do.

Emma has since come to terms with herself. The part of her that is attracted to women. Maybe she's bisexual, but she hates to use that term because it is never taken seriously. Girls mainly, say that they are bisexual but most because it's a trend nowadays and no one thinks it is a real sexuality. Even with the culture today that is supposed to be so accepting of gays it's all for show. Being gay, is hard for some people. It was and is hard for Emma, she doesn't want to be gay, even though her mother and father are accepting of it, she isn't sure if she is deep down.

Of course, on the surface she has to be because she can not change who she is and who she is attracted to, but if she could she would. It is insulting to her when people claim bisexuality when it is really just a phase or fad, which she has no problem with, but what she does have a problem with is having a joke made out of her sexuality which is a real thing that has been problematic for her throughout her life.

Growing up in a town not so accepting of gays, it was a relief to be in New York where the culture and people are far more diverse and accepting. She could remember now, gawking to her mother about a girl who she had had the biggest crush on in high school, telling her mother that she felt gross about it, and he could remember crying in front of her mother for the first time since she broke her arm when she was ten.

" _I don't know, it makes me feel gross, you know?" Emma asked._

" _Why because she's older, or because she isn't into girls?" Her mother asked seriously as she stirred a pot of chili. Emma was grating the cheese, but stopped at this reply._

" _No, Mom, because.." Emma sighed and felt her stomach turn. "because she's a girl." She answered._

 _Her mother inhaled. "Oh." She said shortly. "I didn't even think about that." She answered, not turning around, but Emma did and she saw her shake her head._

Still, years later she thinks of that and knows that even if she doesn't accept herself, or the world, her mother does. That is just enough to get by.

As she gathers up the courage to turn around and wheel passed the fiery brunette's room she thinks of this moment and all the other's in between. She peeks in past the open shutters to the room and sees the woman fast asleep with two other's occupying the room, one being the tall lanky one who had been wheeling her prior to this moment, who's face was illuminated by the glowing screen of a cell phone in her hands. The other an old woman who was angrily crocheting what looked to a sweater but could be anything. The old woman looked up and threw the needles to the ground.

"Dammit girl, I'm not old 'nough for this." Came her muffled reply. Emma snickered and continued on, at least she knew where that attitude came from.

She couldn't place it, she didn't know why, but she had to meet this woman, it was now on her list of things to do that aren't Jennifer Tilly.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been four days and she was finally out of that insufferable hospital, even back in the comfort of her home she could still smell that sterile death circle. It was her only purpose in life at this moment to take an incredibly long and hot shower and eat everything in her fridge that looked even remotely edible.

In the shower, she ran her fingers lightly over the ghostly scar that now decorated her lower abdomen. Each time she saw it, she wondered where her kidney had gone and if whoever had it was doing well and what they were planning to do with this new advantage in life.

However, none of that really mattered to her at this moment, because she was finally free from the confining hospital and hoping never to return. Unless she needed to get liposuction because after this day she was sure she was going to need it.

Regina had always been in nice shape, not too thin but not to the point where she would be seen on the streets as someone who was even mildly chubby. It was good genetics, because she didn't work out and she could eat an entire farm and not feel bad.

That was partially Granny's fault, having been raised by her grandmother for the majority of her life she never went hungry or cringed at the sound of a home cooked meal, as some children do. No, Granny was an aspiring chef and now she was living out her dream of opening up a diner where she could cook and become the female and unaccented version of Gordon Ramsey. Not that she had said it out loud, but Ruby had deemed it appropriate as Granny would never allow them to actually help in a meal, if they tried to even grate cheese she would tell them they are doing it wrong and take over.

So, they learned to stay out of the kitchen at all times when Granny was home, unless they needed to use the microwave or pantry, which they would not be surprised if they were told was being used incorrectly as well.

The girls were used to this restriction, and welcomed it, because neither could cook a thing. Except Regina could make lasagna as she learned from a culinary course in high school that Granny pulled her from, having been insulted that she would prefer to learn the art from imbeciles, as she assumed. So, Regina had learned from that single semester how to make a basic lasagna and grew upon that each time Granny would travel up to Canada to see her sister, which she apparently hated just for the simple fact that Canada was a bitch of a country. That's it, no elaboration, no remorse.

Now, she could cook and clean, but she couldn't move out. Not that she didn't want to, but they had a nice big house on Long Island and the market was tough, and why would she want to leave her home just to pay triple as much living in a stingy apartment in the city, listening to the common wealth more clearly than ever before. No, that was not what she was in the market for, she preferred to be less independent and live in at home.

It's not as if she had an actual job, as Granny had told her. Which pissed Regina off on all levels, because she could and does pay her bills, for her own gas, insurance, as well as snack food that must stay hidden at all times, therefore doesn't actually exist. However, to her Granny, being a writer was not a real job and was just as mediocre as being a face painter.

Regina had been working on her series for the past nine years, it was called End. In a nutshell it was about a bunch of stories with no endings, of course she knew them, but never gave them up directly. The ending to her first book was in the first page of her second, but no one ever figured it out. They sure did sell though, she awaited the day that someone would finally write her or ask her at a signing about the reveal, of course, she'd say yes.

Alas, that was yet to happen and she was rapidly losing all faith in humanity. Which is why she writes to give herself faith, as she is part of humanity and in her opinion, a quite good one. A bit self righteous but it's no wonder why, she is a writer after all.

I'm sure if thought about, it can be seen that indeed all writers are self righteous in one way or another, so there is no need for offense.

As she stepped out of the kitchen with a piping plate of fried zucchini, the unthinkable happened and she dropped the bottle of ranch she was carrying, then tripped on it, broke her plate as well as her glasses and slid down the stairs to where the hardwood of the floor awaited.

Regina didn't quite know how to react, she was in pain, of course, but it was that humming pain that just dulled over resignation. With a sigh she moved her hand under her head and closed her eyes, because she couldn't see anyway.

Ruby scrambled down the stairs, screeching inhumanly when she stepped in a cold mush. Upon lifting her foot she saw green goop.

"Uch." She said, shaking her bare foot, looking down to see a body crumbled at the bottom of the steps. "Fuck." She said, tooth brush in her mouth sputtering as she crashed down. "Regina!" She said, shaking her shoulder.

Regina felt her body whirring and sounds became louder and louder and soon she was opening her eyes to a very frightened Ruby.

"Fucking shit, I thought you died." Ruby fell back into the wall with a sigh, running her shaking hands through her hair.

Regina squinted and rubbed her face, which had a mild case of rug burn. "No, I just fell." She stated. "Asleep." She corrected. "Not like I fell fell, I just was tired."

Ruby laughed, disheveled. "You alright?" She asked.

Regina sat up on her knees. "No, I'm blind and hungry." She replied.

"Do you want to go to the store?" Ruby asked. "You drive?"

"I am not so hungry that I am suicidal, dear." She replied, slipping on a pair of moccasins and shrugging on an oversized hoodie that some how made it's way into their home, but was never bought.

"Where to?" She asked.

"First, Walgreens." She nodded.

After purchasing a pair of 250 strength readers to get her through the week, until she could get her lenses in that is, the pair headed down the sidewalk to a small corner cafe.

"This place has the best flatbreads, GG." Ruby said, swinging open the door for Regina who entered while pulling her short locks into a pony tail, bangs falling out to the side in different lengths, she looked like a hot mess. She was a hot mess.

Regina narrowed her eyes as she looked around the shop with it's few inhabitants. Some typing away on their laptops, some chit chatting, but not much else. Her eyes trained on a blonde sitting on the counter glaring at the barista who looked to be tripping over herself.

"Belle, it isn't that fucking hard to make a expresso, come on!" She encouraged violently.

"I know, I don't-" The girl, Belle's voice came through with a hint of an accent. "Help." She whined, pressing buttons but to no avail.

"I can't come to your rescue every time, B." She returned.

"Don't be a dick just because you're in the world of perfect health now." Belle rolled her eyes as Regina neared the line, which only held three including she and Ruby.

"Perfect?" The blonde scoffed. "Far the hell from it, I am not even allowed to be here right now." She told.

"Then go home, you're making me nervous." Belle said, whipping the cream atop a steaming cup. "Thank you." She said when the man dropped a tip.

"I can't." The blonde said, stretching her shoulders. "My mom is there and she won't leave me alone. I am supposed to on the roof studying the growing patterns of pumpkins."

"How'd you get away with that?" Belle asked.

"I really don't know, she thinks I'm all fuckin' cultured now that I live in NYC." She shrugged.

"That's rich." Belle answered, turning to an impatient Regina and grinning Ruby, who was clearly entertained by the situation before her. "Sorry, what can I do you for?" She asked.

Ruby gave a predatory smile as she leaned against the counter, her face less than a foot from the auburn haired girl. "Chai tea and a chicken basil flat bread please." She said, Regina couldn't wrap her mind around how exactly her sister had made something so casual sound so flirty, but she didn't have to.

"Okay, and you?" The girl looked left.

"Large black coffee sugar but no cream and a chicken pesto flat bread." She answered, her eyes veering to the blonde on the counter as she felt her eyes burning a hole in her face. "Yes?" She asked.

The blondes eyes widened and she shook her head. "Nothing, I'm sorry, I just, I kind of know you." She replied.

"I'm sure you have said that more than just this once today." Regina shot back.

"No," the blonde shook her head more furiously this time. "I saw you when I was in the hospital getting my operation." She said.

"Is that so?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, you were," Emma wiped the corner of her mouth. "you were yelling at the receptionist about your phone or something, it was hilarious."

Regina smirked. "Ah," she stuttered. "yes, I have found it now." She said.

"I'm glad." Emma smiled. "I'm Emma." She said with a smile and a nod.

"Which is it?" Regina quirked a brow.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"Are you Glad or are you Emma?" She asked, internally slapping her knee.

"Both." Emma replied. Regina nodded and let her eyes wander about the shop, majorly shades of green and brown giving it an earthy feel, with white chairs, tables, and counters, it appeared clean and cozy.

"You work here?" Regina asked after a moment.

"I did." Emma nodded.

"You get fired for being a dick?" She asked.

"No, I'm on a leave." She replied with a grin. "I'll be quitting soon if I get a job teaching."

"What do you teach?" She asked.

"Well, nothing exclusively, but I have my masters in Literary Arts and business."

"I see, so you enjoy English?"

"I do." Emma answered. "And you?"

"I what?" She asked.

"Enjoy English."

"Oh, pardon." Regina chuckled. "I am just barely alive today. I do enjoy English, I am actually a writer."

"Oh no shit!" Emma said with a clap. "You published?"

Regina nodded. "Yeah, just submitted the manuscript for my fourth book."

"A series?" Emma asked. "Do tell." She leaned forward, gripping the counter she decorated. Regina glanced down at her, large faded gray sweats with a college logo of some kind and a tight white tee with pink writings and a picture of a fairy, just short enough to expose a bit of her hip.

"It's called End." Regina began. "It's about-" she started to say when Emma smacked the counter as hard as she could.

"Oh my fucking god!" She cried. "You're E.Q. Mills."

"Well that's a pen name." Regina nodded. "I'm Regina."

"Then what's E.Q.?" Emma asked.

"Well, Evil Queen." She laughed, Emma along with her.

"Why?" She asked another question.

"She's my favorite character. Do you always ask so many questions?" She tapped her foot.

"No, yes, I'm just really stoked to meet you, and I have a question." Emma blushed. "Last one, I swear." She told, her hands up in surrender. Regina nodded and watched as the blonde tucked a hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. "Okay, your first book, Mr. Hobbs, you end it with him about to reveal the secret that he'd been trying to keep his whole life." Regina nodded. "Alright, then the first page in the next book, the first line that Jane says is 'I died once before but came back as another, the same as the other but different than myself.'" Emma said. Regina's eyes opened wide and she brought a hand to her chest. "That was the secret." Emma nodded.

"That was the secret." Regina whispered. "You're the first person to ever understand, how did you-how did you know?" She shook her head.

"I knew that a writer like you had to have something up her sleeve. Brilliant, you're brilliant, I can't even tell you how much I loved your books, holy shit."

"Thank you." Regina said genuinely and smiled just as. "Thank you so much." She repeated.

Emma smiled shyly and flushed a bit. "You're really welcome." She replied. "But I mean, thank you for writing the books."

Regina just moved toward the counter where the blonde was sitting. "Would you like to have coffee with me?" She asked, her eyes shining steel.

"Yes," Emma answered. "I would love that."

Regina and Emma took a small table in the back, and began to talk about all things End, then veering off into their day's, laughing about Regina's literal trip down the stairs, and Emma's mother. Oddly enough, the operation each had undergone never once came up, for Emma, she didn't want to have to go in to detail about how and why she had needed the kidney. For Regina, she just wanted to forget it ever happened and that now she was a sad one kidney person.

"I mean, I don't have anything against stairs, it's the gravity that really gets me." Regina chewed on a fry from the plate that Belle had brought over, Ruby long gone, running errands until later.

"Gravity is the actual base for all the world's problems." Emma munched on, slouching forward as she remained engaged in conversation.

"I completely agree, gravity does also have a play in the world of politics." Regina told.

"Is that right?" Emma perked her brow.

Regina nodded. "Mhm, if it didn't exist then nothing would stop them from floating up out of the atmosphere with all that hot air they've got going on up there." She twirled her head violently around her head, looking down as she nearly choked on a skin.

Emma laughed restless. "That's quite the base of logic."

"So you disagree?" Regina questioned.

"No," Emma laughed again, "of course not. I just mean, I don't know."

"At a loss for words, dear?" Regina tilted her head.

"A little bit." Emma coughed, looking up to the clock that hung over the glass of the door, outside of which was graying with the falling day. "Shit, I gotta go." She stood slowly, not to overexert herself. "It was, it was so great to meet you." She said with a bright smile, extending her hand to Regina, who shook it lightly then just held it.

She looked up to Emma with mirth shining her her eyes. "You, too."

That's how they stayed a moment before Emma let go, nodding, still grinning. "Okay." She said. "Bye."

Regina bit at the inside of her lip. "Bye." She said and watched the blonde until she walked out of sight.

"Emma Swan!" Came the worried tone of her mother, the exact moment that she walked into the door. "Where in the hell were you?" She went on, pulling Emma inside and onto the couch.

"I just went around the corner to the shop, and Mom, oh my god," she said excitedly, "You won't."

"To the shop!" She cried. "Emma do you realize how much risk you put yourself in the way of? Huh?"

"Yes, Mom, but I'm fine, listen!" Emma tried.

"No, you listen, you are not allowed to leave this house for a week, Emma Swan! A week! How would you feel to lose this opportunity to live a full life again just for a cup of coffee?"

"Okay," Emma groaned, "god, I was just bored."

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I just want you to get better again."

"I know, Ma." Emma smiled. "As I way _saying_ , you will never guess who I ran in to." Mary Margret nodded. "Remember that crazy chick from the hospital?" Another nod. "Well, she came into the shop today and turns out, pause for dramatic effect, she's E.Q. Mills."

"I don't follow." Her mother stated blandly.

"Ah!" Emma screeched running her hands over her face, through her hair. "She wrote a book series with no given endings, but then gave the endings them in the next book. Shortened version." She spewed.

"That sounds awful." MM stated simply. Emma just gawked at the ignorance. "I'm sorry." She laughed offensively.

"You should be, because not only are her books awesome, but so is she." Emma crossed her arms in protest.

"Oh, is that so?" MM asked. "And is she-"

"Ma!" Emma fell back into the chair at her mother's raised brow.

"I'm sorry!" She slapped her thighs and moved to the other side of Emma on the couch. "I just thought that,"

"Do not finish that sentence." Emma said pointedly. "You thinking that every woman I meet, I want or am going to sleep with, is ludicrous."

"But do you want to?" MM asked. "And I didn't say anything about sleeping with her, that is not the image I wish to appear in my mind, I still think that all you do is make out in movie theaters." She covered.

"Right." Emma avoided the question.

"So, yes?" MM asked.

"Slippery slope." She stated.

MM held her hands up in surrender, then let them fall to her side. "Hungry?" She asked.

"No." Emma said with a grin.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Regina chanted monotonously with eat blow of a sharp tail belonging to her dog. "Hey!" She yelled. The pup looked up and back, his tail stopping it's blows, his happy jaws closing. Regina slapped the bed and he launched off, out of the room, she closed the door before he could jump back in with a toy this time.

She turned back to her computer, moved to Spotify as a means of procrastination. She scrolled through her music, but it didn't take long before she pained herself into choosing Adele's 19 album. "I hate myself." She muttered before singing along to Chasing Pavements.

Thirty seconds into the song, Ruby burst through the door, Regina nearly fell off her bed mid chorus. "You are not listening to Adele without me!" She accused.

"Dear Lord Ruby, don't you have a job?" She asked, hand on her heart.

"Don't you?" Ruby glared, falling onto her bed.

Regina stared back, then looked away quickly. "You right." Then they both laughed.

"Put on My Same." Ruby said, Regina did so and they sat and sang loudly together, terribly of course. "This makes me miss What's His Name." Ruby slapped Regina's leg underneath the fluffy penguin decorated blanket. "Fuck." She let out. "Fuck." Again.

"I'm assuming that's what you did." Regina accused.

"Shut up." Ruby smacked her hard this time. "Robin!"

Regina screamed. "Oh my god!" She cackled.

"You remember!"

"High School." Regina shook her head.

"Can't believe I broke your nose over him."

"Don't remind me." Regina told with a chuckle, pushing her glasses back up her nose, now fixed up nice and pretty. "I didn't even like him."

"You fucked him!" Ruby yelled.

"Only because I was drunk, and thought he was a woman."

"Don't play that card, remember Daniel?"

"We _really_ don't talk about him." Regina said, turning away. "Especially with Adele near."

"You never told me what happened." Ruby looked sympathetic.

"Because I don't care about him," Regina said, stood and went to close her window as the wind picked up.

"Come on," Ruby whined, "tell me."

"He died." Regina answered. "However, he was already dead inside."

Ruby chuckled, then frowned. "Wait, really?" She asked.

"Yes, in a car crash," Regina nodded, "after I told him that I couldn't be with him anymore." She laughed. "It's fine though, he was a dick."

"Regina!" Ruby scolded.

"No, I'm actually lying, he just moved to Guam."

"What the fuck?" Ruby sighed. "You- you're, twisted."

"Not really, had he died, I would only feel obligated to feel bad."

Ruby rolled her eyes and stood. "I don't understand how you convinced Granny you didn't need therapy."

"Must be a good actress." Regina muttered, turning back to her computer, chewing on a pen she'd been sitting on.

 _October 2,_

 _I usually hate journal entries, but I was just reminded of something irritating._

 _Which brought me to something else._

 _Never mind, I'm annoyed._

 _Which brings me to the fact that I am also annoyed about turning 26 next week._

 _Disgust._


	3. Chapter 3

**I have decided that this will be updated each Sunday. Except this time, as today is Saturday. I fixed the wall of** **text, sorry about that!**

Regina stood in line at the grocery store, holding bread, milk, eggs, pizza rolls, and a bottle of Hennessy in a small green basket that she had picked up at the door. She had submitted her manuscript and was now ready to celebrate with her dog, a pit bull terrier who she'd had since he could fit in a tea cup called Sod, by getting drunk and singing along to Fleetwood Mac with terrible pitch, then later on regurgitate the pizza rolls that she may or may not burn. While impatiently tapping her foot on the linoleum floor she tries to tune out the incessant chatter of the shop goers that surround her at all angles. So, she doesn't hear her name being called until there is a hand on her shoulder. Regina scowls at the intrusive hand and turns around to see a face that was at first unrecognizable. Then, she sees the blonde hair and her face breaks into a knowing grin.

"Okay, I'm so glad that's you." Emma sighed in relief.

"In the flesh." Regina shrugs. "How are you?" Regina asked, looking down to see her basket full of sugar cereal, trees of broccoli, and a bag of potatoes. Emma moved the basket to hang down at her side.

"I'm good, good," she said, "I can leave my house on my own now." A nod. "As well as drive." She splayed her hands.

"I'm glad," Regina said, trying to avoid small talk with this near stranger who she had indulged in during a time of hungry weakness.

"Celebrating?" Emma asked, gesturing the liquor. Regina nudged her basket up, acknowledging the loose-tongue serum.

"Yeah. Yeah, I just uh, submitted my manuscript for the final time and," she laughs in a breath, "my dog and I are going to have a little party." She admitted.

"Your dog?" Emma raised a brow. "Yep, his name is Sod, like the dirt, or the European slur." Regina pushed her glassed back with her free hand. Emma chuckled.

"That's a great name!" She told. "My pug, he's great, his name in Oxford, like the dictionary, but I call him Ox, like the bovine." Regina pinched into a smile and looked away to laugh.

"I like that." Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, larger than life, Regina's eyes widened at that. "Note 5, huge, but I can't see." She tilted it. "This," she pursed her lips, "is Ox." She turned to screen to a Regina, portraying a picture of a black pug lying on it's back with it's paws up to it's pinched and wrinkled face.

"He's adorable," Regina said and made an awe like sound.

"I know, gah, I love him, he's my best friend." Emma fawned.

"Same with my dog, he hardly leaves my side."

"But does he cuddle?" Emma asked seriously, too seriously for such a question.

"Yes," Regina laughs, "he loves to cuddle." Emma nods.

"Good." She points to the self checkout line, where there was now an open scan. "Ladies first." She says, her voice deepening. Regina smiled.

"Thank you, it was great running into you," she said, stopping as she had forgotten the name of her friend.

"Emma." Emma replied, smiling.

"Emma." Regina nodded, waving as she stepped out into the circle of scanners. After checking out her items, Regina stood in wait for a moment at the sliding doors leading to the outside, her phone in hand with a recent picture of Sod glowing on the screen. When she saw Emma, she called her over. "This is Sod." She told. Emma looked taken back a moment then smiled at the caramel colored dog grinning and drooling with trees and soil as a backdrop. "We went hiking up in Maine a few weeks back, he killed a fish."

"No way." Emma said with a grin.

"Way." Regina replied. "It was beautiful, I love him."

"He's a dime." Emma replied, and Regina slid her phone back down into her hoodie pocket and moved forward.

"Thank you." She replied. "Where'd you park?" She asked

. "Oh, well I walked here." She told. "I live just up there." She pointed to a beige brick building with a green rusted fire escape.

Regina nodded. "Respectable."

"Yeah." Emma said, the wind blowing her curls into her face, she pushed them back. "I better go, my mom needs this," she swished the bag, "shit."

Regina nodded. "Okay, well, yeah." She thumbed back to her car. "Gotta go."

"Congratulations on your book." Emma said quietly. "I can't wait to read it."

Regina laughed. "Yeah, thanks, I mean I hope it gets put out soon." Then she turned. "Do you want to celebrate with me tonight?" She asked, whipping around.

Emma looked at her house then back. "Well, my mom is-" She began.

Regina put her hand to her head then shook it. "Right, yes, cooking, I totally forgot, sorry."

"No, no, it's fine." Emma said. "Another time, though." She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, maybe." Regina agreed, sort of. "Okay."

"Unless," Emma began, "you would like to join us?" She asked, Regina opened her mouth. "Or would your dog miss you too much?" Emma teased.

"Oh, well I don't want to intrude on your time with your mother." Regina shook her head.

"Nonsense!" Emma said. "I mean really, please," she looked pleading, "please, come over tonight because if I have to listen to my mother accuse me of having no friends then I am going to kill myself." Emma begged, moving closer. "Then I won't have time to make friends."

"That would be counter productive." Regina agreed.

"So, yes?"

"Yes, sounds like fun."

"Now you're just being nice."

"No, never." Regina protested. "Here, number." She held out her phone. Emma punched it in, then saved her name under Emma Swan with a swan emoji.

"See you at 7." Emma smiled, then it died. "Thirty."

"Seven Thirty." Regina nodded.

 **You: How nice am I expected to look?**

 **Emma Swan: I'm probably wearing pajamas, so just do you.**

 **You: Probably or are?**

 **Emma Swan: Pajamas definitely. With fish on them.**

 **You: Classy. I don't think I will be able to top that.**

 **Emma Swan: Unlikely.**

Regina smiled as she pulled on a pair of dark gray leggings and low rise black Uggs boots. Staring at herself in the mirror hanging from her door she took in the pink lace bra that she had purchased at her last run through of the mall. It was 8 months ago, Valentines day, and she had seen it on a mannequin with little red hearts sewn into it, and impulsively purchased it.

Tossing about her closet she found a green t shirt with an embroidered cactus on it, pulled it on and then a navy blue sweater. Happy with her attire she nodded and went down to the kitchen where Ruby was sitting on the counter, eating an apple, glaring at Granny. When she saw Regina she pointed to the older woman

. "Granny tossed your rolls, man." She accused.

Regina opened her mouth and scoffed. "What the hell?"

"Watch your mouth, girl." She said, grating cheese with violent accent. "I threw them away because I'm cooking."

"Those were celebratory." Regina whined.

"I don't care!" Granny chuckled. "You can celebrate with my vegetable casserole."

"Actually, I'm going to eat with a friend."

"You have those?" Ruby laughed. Regina shot daggers at her.

"Yes." She fell into her hip. "Rude."

"Who is this friend?" Granny asked in an accusatory fashion.

"Don't say it like that." Regina grimaced. "Her name is Emma, she is very interesting. Her dog is named Oxford and her mother is cooking."

"Is that right?" Granny said, Regina could see the look on her face while looking at the back of her head, one that screamed all knowing.

"Yes, Granny." Regina rolled her eyes. "I have to go, okay?"

"Mhm." Regina scoffed and pulled the bottle of Hennessy off the counter.

"What are you doing with that?" Ruby asked.

"I don't have any wine." Regina told in a hushed scold. Ruby let out a cackle and then muttered something as Regina slammed the screen door, saying a goodbye to Sod who attempted to follow her out the door.

Emma was sitting cross legged on her floor, swinging Ox around with a chew toy when the knock resounded throughout the apartment and he flew towards the door with a yap. "No!" Emma said with a Russian accent, which she had perfected in high school theater, having wrote and directed a parody play based off an English report on Stalin that had her fed up. "No bark." She said, using her foot to move him out of the way and opening the door to Regina, her hair pulled back in a low bun with layers falling out and into her face.

"I brought alcohol." She said stoically. Emma laughed, glancing to the bottle of Hennessy.

"Well, that's unconventional." She told and stepped out of the way. "Inward." She said, jumping back to keep her wild pug at bay.

"It smells very food like in here." Regina nodded.

"Yeah, that's what happens."

"Sorry, I am not good in social situations."

"This isn't very social, I'm wearing pajamas with cigarette burns in them." Emma said, fluffing her pants, picking up Ox, who struggled behind her legs. "This is the Oxford, don't touch his ears, he will pee." Regina laughed and poked the pup's nose, who sneezed in return.

"I love him."

"Yeah." Emma said. "So, my mother is upstairs stealing basil." Emma told.

"Oh, ah, why?" Regina tilted her head and pushed her glasses up on her nose higher.

"Mine was expired."

"I'm not even going to ask."

"Good, because I don't even know."

"My Granny say's that fresh basil is the key to success."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I don't really understand her, either." Regina said and sniffed, awkwardly chuckling. "She's a freak about cooking and cookery."

"Really? Huh." Emma replied, moving to the living room. "Sit," she pat the seat beside her. Regina nodded and sat down stiffly. "Dude, chill." Emma laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"You look like you're ready to run at any time."

"Maybe I am." Regina replied.

"Well, then you won't get to enjoy my amazing mashed potatoes." Emma pointed her nose up.

"When you put it that way." She replied and slunk back into the seat dramatically. Emma chuckled just as there was a struggle at the door. The two women looked back to see her mother busting in and locking the door loudly, breathing like a horse.

"What's up?" Emma asked, brow raised. MM turned and walked into the kitchen.

"Cat." She said.

"Ma!" Emma called, gesturing for Regina to stand, she did and followed the girl into the kitchen.

"What?" Her mother mocked the tone.

"This is Regina." She introduced, MM smiled and held her hand out. Regina took it and shook delicately.

"Hi, I'm Mary Margaret" MM said, "you're so beautiful! Emma," she tilted her head, "you never-"

"Oh my god, mom!" Emma flushed and pushed past the pair to the fridge. Regina chuckled.

"Thank you." She blushed. "It's nice to meet you."

A nod. "Are you hungry?" MM began. "Emma told me that we were having company, and I kind of went all out. You know, she hasn't introduced or mentioned for that matter, a single friend in all the 8 years she has lived here?"

"Hasn't she?" Regina raised a brow to Emma, drinking a juice box. "Really?"

"I can't drink alcohol, I don't, I mean." Emma told.

"Shit." Regina came to realize. "Shit! I- oh, pardon my language." She turned to Emma's mother bustling about.

"No worries." She excused. "Emma is my child, after all." "Hey, was that in _insult, mother_?"

"Oh, of course not." MM replied, voice dripping with sarcasm, not going unnoticed by any. "Regina, dear, I do drink alcohol, and am for one, quite delighted you brought some." MM smiled.

Regina grinned and let out her breath that she had apparently been holding. "Excellent." She said.

"I swear, if you guys get wasted with me here, I will not be happy to clean up any mess."

"However, she will still do it." MM answered, looking Regina directly in the eyes, brows raised. "Neat freak, ever since she was born." She hushed.

Emma rolled her eyes, leaned on the counter, dusting it off subconsciously. "I blame by zodiac sign." Was all she said.

Regina chuckled. "That's always an easy out, or maybe you just can't face being an abomination without justification."

Emma frowned and shook her head. "Nope, definitely the sign."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, capricorn?"

Emma held a hand to her chest and gawked. "Insult." She told. "Virgo."

Regina nodded. "Ah, much more sense. I was just testing you, you know?"

"Yeah, right. You, you are," Emma squinted at her, "aquarius."

"Well," Regina pushed a piece of hair behind her ears, "not wrong, but not correct."

"What kind of answer is that?" Emma chortled.

"Last year, I had this huge astrology binge, birth charts, the whole big kicker, and my rising sign, is aquarius, so you are not wrong." Emma nodded with a splitting grin and Regina went on, quite serious in this aspect of the world. "But," she popped, "my sun sign, is libra." She nodded with closed eyes.

"Ah, and the world falls into place," Emma raised her hands to the ceiling, "do me."

"What do you mean?" Regina sniffed.

"Birth chart, the big kicker, do me."

Regina raised a brow and whipped out her phone, "type in your exact day and time of, well you can read." She laughed.

"How did you ever gather that?" Emma questioned. "Okay, so, why isn't it working?"

Regina took back the device and scribbled the screen. "Site is glitchy. Okay, so," she stared into the abyssal plane of the screen, "I was right, your rising in capricorn, so ha, your moon is aries, venus is taurus, mercury is sagittarius and the rest is just.. extra."

Emma smiled wide. "I don't know what any of that means!" She nodded excitedly.

MM laughed in the back drop somewhere, stirring a pot. "It means you suck."

Emma rolled her eyes and looked to Regina. "She's just showing off since we have company. Right, Mother?" She called.

"So, what is your chart like?" Emma asked. "And what does it mean?" She rested her chin in her hands, elbows digging into the counter.

"Oh, well, what I told you, rising aquarius, sun libra, moon sagittarius, venus virgo, mercury scorpio." She sniffed. "Rising is how you appear to others and new situations, sun is your aspired self, moon is your emotions, venus is," she twirled her hand about whimsically, "the music of the heart."

"That's rad." Emma said. "Ma, what's your sign?"

"Cancer." She said over her shoulder.

"Gross." Emma returned. "I mean, are you contagious?"

"Some would say." MM replied. "So, Regina, do you live far from here?"

Regina moved her head left to right, lips pursed. "Long Island, so not too bad."

"Oh, is it nice, I've never been?" MM asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, it's really nice, in most places, we live North facing by the shore, so it's a nice part."

"With all the rich people." Emma added.

"There are many of those." Regina returned. Emma fell to the floor and rubbed the pink belly of her pug. Regina stayed at her place against the counter, looking about the house, decorated, but with no sentiment. It made her wonder how Emma grew up, why she didn't have any pictures of her family, whom she seems to love. In her recent years, Regina has grown to question everything and anything, because she craves knowledge.

Knowledge of self, is an easy thing to do, but she tries not to venture to her inner self too often. Besides, her inner self comes out in the form of her stories. Ever since she was 17 years old, and fiction archive famous, she had been pouring out all of her pent of emotions into a form of writing, into her characters, making them feel her pain for her, then feel joy for her. Her first and most influential character was a woman named Liz, a bitch of a lawyer who abused her daughter, Ivory, after being beat down by her divorce.

Her first work served a deeper purpose than mere joy for the art of literature, it was her coming out story. The character was played as a heterosexual, cheating on her husband with a woman, however, it was all passion and sex, the icing of lesbian relationships that everyone sees. Regina always found that most men, or people in general saw the act of love between two women as merely pornographic, but it was so much more than that.

So, throughout the tale of Liz, her pornographic relationship with a woman is displayed and her deep and scarring emotional relationship with her husband is also played out. In the end, Liz, ashamed by society's view of her love admits that her husband, was a woman, that all the pain, the fighting, sorrow, was real, but was with a woman. Regina wanted to prove that, women together have just as much a right and ability to crumble as a man and a woman.

Her writings became well known on a forum for undiscovered writers called LEAF, she had won online polls and awards for a controversial and moving piece of literature. It was that that gave her the confidence to divulge deeper into her abilities to create, and make a name for herself.

13 years later, here she is, proud of all her accomplishments.

"Regina," she heard, snapping out of the stupor which had overcame her, "you there?"

"Hm?" She hummed. "Yes, sorry, just lost myself a moment."

Emma smiled warmly. "Do you want some cocoa?" She asked. "Tea?"

Regina pondered the question, ever indecisive. "Cocoa, unless you don't have whipped cream." She bargained.

"Do I look like a peasant?" Emma questioned. Regina chuckled, then shrugged. "Wow, rude, I think I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Then who would tell you your mashed potatoes are good?" Regina mocked hurt.

"My mother, of course."

"Yes, but she loves you, and will lie to spare your feelings." Regina told. "I, on the other hand, do not lie." She tilted her head. "Often."

"Ah, you see, now I don't think I can trust you." Emma said, pouring milk from the pan into three unmatched mugs, all looking to be from the Christmas season.

"Well, then you have to ask yourself, who _can_ you trust?" Regina challenged.

"Touche." Emma shook the whipped cream. "My dog."

"No." Regina replied. "He would surely sell you out for a piece of bologna."

Emma laughed aloud. "I hate that you're right!" She took three cinnamon sticks and placed them in the mugs, passing Regina the blue one with little penguins.

"Thank you." She said and sipped, trying not to curse like a sailor as she burned her tongue. Instead, she just watched as Emma disappeared into the hall calling a quick 'be right back'. MM placed down a spoon and made way to check the hall, placing a finger over mouth as she violently opened the cap of the Hennessy, pouring a favorable amount into her cocoa before gesturing it towards Regina, who declined.

By the end of the night, and bottom of a wonderful bowl of mashed potatoes, half a rather large pot pie, and many laughs later, Regina sat on the couch across from Emma, spooning her dog. The brunette stared over the rim of her glasses, now with fixed lenses that she could see very well out of, at the crown of the blondes head with her hair sticking up and out of the pony tail she'd thrown it into.

Emma looked up, eyebrows scrunched to see Regina staring, who immediately averted her eyes. The blonde just looked back down to the smushed face of her beloved pup and smiled at the catch. Regina glanced around the room quickly, now uncomfortable.

"Uh, okay." She said, standing. "I should be going," she began, Emma looked up, surprised, "thank you."

"Wait, you have to stay, Polar Express is on." Emma tried.

"It's October." Regina sliced.

"That means nothing." Emma replied. "Please, stay." She looked quizzically.

Regina considered for a moment, before shaking her head and moving her glasses up on her nose, a habit that Emma has noticed, is born out of nerves more than actual need to fix the position of the frame. "I can't, carbs make me tired, and I-" she began, "thank you." She said with a nod.

"Regina, leaving already?" MM came around the corner, wiping her hands with a rag.

Regina turned, flustered and nodded. "Uh," she stuttered, both women were staring at her, she felt hot, uncomfortable, "yes." She replied and started towards the door, trying the knob violently but it jammed. Regina sniffed, flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Door, please."

Emma restrained herself from laughing by pursing her lips as she made way over to the door, opening it easily. "Want me to-" She began.

Regina shook her head and hummed a negative, brushing past her. "Goodbye, Emma." She exhaled as her voice cracked.

"Later," Emma chuckled, closing the door, "weird." She mouthed.

"Dammit!" Regina kicked her bed.

"Whoa, chill." Ruby tried with a halted laugh. "What happened?"

Regina whipped her hands around dramatically. "Well, nothing I just forgot how to be a person for a whole thirty seconds!"

"What did you do?"

"I was like ' _oh no carbs make me tired, uh we can't watch Polar Express, it's October_ '," she mocked herself, "then!" A shake of the head. "Then, I try to leave and the door jams and I stand there for like twenty minutes trying to force it open, then I'm like ' _door please,'_ and I have her open the door for me, and all but run out of there." Ruby stifled a grin. "Don't you dare laugh!" Regina warned.

"I'm sorry!" She burst into a fit. "You're like a socially awkward seal child!"

"Excu-" Regina gawked, " _seal child?_ What in the fuck is that?"

"Something that runs into doors and is made tired by carbohydrates." Ruby told.

"Get out, no, out of my room!" Regina threw empty water bottles at the lanky girl, who laughed trying to shield herself from the onslaught. "Ruby, leave!"

"I'm leaving, calm your tits!" Ruby chuckled, hopping off the bed and heading to the door, opening it with the push of a weight lying against it. The weight carried the form of Sod, who panted in and jumped into bed with distraught Regina. "Door, please." Ruby mocked, pretending to struggle with closing it.

"I hate you." Regina shook her head, scratched Sod's ears as he burrowed into her bed. Regina only fell back onto her pillows and tried to forget about the fool she had made of herself. She truly did not understand the art of socialism.

Emma leaned against the now closed door, looked to her mother as they both began to laugh. "I feel bad." Emma said. "I should have walked her out."

"I'm sure she would have ran away from you, either way, dear." MM replied, tossing her rag to the side. "Well, she certainly is interesting."

"To say the least." Emma agreed. "I hope I didn't scare her off." She shook her head, moved towards the kitchen.

"Might have." Mary Margaret conceded.

"Thanks, Mom, really helpful. I was looking for something like ' _oh, no, Emma, darling, I'm sure it'll be just fine'."_

MM raised a brow to her daughter. "Do you want me to start over?"

Emma sighed. "No, it wouldn't be the same."

Her mother studied her a moment. "Well, I think you guys really hit it off." She told and went over to the sink.

Emma blushed, bringing a hand up to her mouth the nibble her nail. "You do?"

"Mhm, I think, despite the ending, she enjoys you." MM nodded. "And you her?"

Emma paused her actions, her stomach fluttering. "Yeah, but it's not like that."

"Okay." MM returned, unconvinced. It's not as if she hadn't seen the glances, Regina more bold in that department than her daughter, but she could see it. The tension. Now, she didn't want to go meddling into her daughter's love life, but a part of her also knew she didn't have to.


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting on the floor of her kitchen, she was soon faced with the realization that she had no food. This normally wouldn't be an issue, however, Granny had recently taken her trip up to the Canadian Alps where she would remain with her sister for the next couple of weeks.

The contents of her refrigerator were little to none, as Granny had only left a single tomato and half a gallon of milk in her wake. This was her spiteful way of telling them she knew that they were going to eat nothing but junk until she returned to be their personal chef once more. Of course, she wasn't wrong.

Ruby swept into the gray lit kitchen, fully dressed and smelling of sharp lavender and spice. Her face was decorated with little make up, and her recent nose piercing, that as Granny put it, made her look like a degenerate teen who forgot to grow up.

"Mourning?" Ruby asked.

"Both." Regina replied, as she wasn't sure which 'morning' she was asking. "Will you take to the store?" She asked, looking up with pleading eyes.

Ruby let out a short laugh. "No." She replied and laughed again.

"Why?" Regina whined.

"Uh, because you have two legs and arms, and I have somewhere to be?" She replied sarcastically. Regina's mouth twitched into a grimace.

"Where do you have to be that's so damn important you can't even grant your favorite sister with a trip to Albertson's?" Regina stood, moved to sit right back down, but in the living room where Ruby had moved her party.

"Job interview." She replied, removing her piercing and fixing her red blazer over a white blouse with black buttons.

"Is that?" Regina looked closer, but she didn't have her glasses, so sight was not exactly her strong suit at the moment. "My shirt?"

"Nope, you're just blind." Ruby replied quickly. "Gotta go, love you!" She called as she all but ran out the door. Regina glared her way as she felt a warmth on her knee, she looked down to see the face of Sod, drooling as he rested his head on her leg and looked up at her with his puppy eyes.

"Outside?" She asked in a small voice. His head shot up and his tail wagged violently, so much so, his legs could hardly stay on the ground. "Okay, stop." She said as he beat her with his whip of a tail as she stood to make her way to the screen door, down a long hallway just left right of the staircase.

As she watched him jump out the door, and off the porch she smiled, but it soon died as she turned around and saw that she had a mission on her hands. _Leave the house. Drive._ The words twirled through her head and brought her small drops of sadness each time they would recycle.

"Okay, stop." She told herself, walking up the steps to her room. Per usual, she wasn't quite dressed yet, still clad in pajama pants, white with little red and pink hearts on them, and a Grateful Dead hoodie, that she had tie dyed herself back in hr college days.

Regina ran her eyes over herself, then turned to her bed, picking up her glasses before heading back downstairs, halfway down, realizing that she forgot her keys, trudging back up to where she came.

Now prepared as she will ever get, she slipped into her boots and as she was about to head out the garage door, she heard a bark from behind her. Regina whirled around, letting the door to the garage slam shut, and went to let the sodding dog in.

He ran a circle around her, as she raised her hands, as if some consolation in _not_ tripping over him, and or stepping on him. He soon ran away from her, into the living room where he swooped up a rope toy and brought back her way. Regina looked at him and smiled, "come on, buddy." She said happily, opening the garage door for him.

Waiting for her in the cold concrete room was the first car she ever bought, a 95 Saturn in forest green. It was a literal piece of shit, but she was 17 and had just gotten her license after putting off her permit until she was 16. To this day, it was still here for her, when Ruby took Granny's Honda. Which ironically, Granny hardly ever drove, she preferred cabs, which Regina hated, but to each their own, right?

Regina opened the passenger's door for Sod, he hopped in and sat down kindly, she had trained him to sit nicely in cars, and he even allowed for her to strap him in with the belt. Regina push the metal part down into the slot violently, as it always got stuck, after a few tries it clicked into place, so she sat back.

Opening the garage door, she turned the car on and pushed slowly out the door. As she was about to be fully out, she heard a clang as her car rose and fell quickly. Regina sucked in a breath, debating her next move. After a hot second, she just pressed down the gas and whatever she ran over, was now twice as damaged, closing the garage door, she realized, she really didn't care.

Turning on her disk drive, she thought back to what she had put in here, the last time she'd even used this car was over two month's ago, a couple of weeks before her surgery. Checking the volume, to be sure it wouldn't blast them into a disability, she waited.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, looked to Sod who panted excitedly, and began to sing along to Boot Stomping on a Human Face Forever, by Bad Religion, a classic.

She was just making it to the bridge as the song faded out, and Overture came on. It had always been a favorite, even though she wished it had words, as the melody was not one to trifle with.

Singing her way into an oblivion, she made her way into the city, she had known that there were stores back on Long Island, but now that she was driving instead of being driven, she decided to just go to her favorite Korean BBQ place down in Manhattan, because screw Ruby, she can go shopping with her.

Regina yielded at a stop sign, the street wasn't too busy, so she didn't think to come to a complete stop before she sped across.

" _In the night, in the night you see, through-_ Fuck!" She exclaimed as in the middle of her chorus solo, she was jolted by the crashing impact on her back bumper. "Mother fucking, shit." She continued as she looked through her rearview, pressing a piece of hair behind her ears, she checked her dog, who was fine, just confused.

All terrifying 5 feet and 6 inches of her angrily exited her car, and slammed the door behind her. Regina glared at the yellow bug that was two feet away from her car. "Hey, you dick, I had the fuckin' right away, are you blind?" She raged as the door was opening.

Emerged, a familiar face. That, of Emma Swan.

"Emma." Regina greeted, confused. "You dick." She accused.

"Shit, Regina, hey." Emma smiled, then frowned again as she looked to the damage she'd caused. "I'm so sorry, I mean, I saw you, but I thought you were going faster, and I was just in a rush."

"Are you saying I drive slow?" Regina countered.

"No, of course not," Emma replied with a sigh, "not directly, I mean."

Regina walked to inspect the damage, her car with just a dent and scratch, but Emma's with her bumper hanging off on the right side. "Well, I suppose you seem to be in quite the pickle." She nodded towards it.

"Yeah." Emma sighed. "It's fine, though, my friend, he's a mechanic, I won't have any through getting this fixed, I'm just really sorry."

"You have frightened my dog." Regina replied, her face remaining stoic.

Emma laughed and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry." She shook her head.

Regina nodded. "It's fine." She looked back to her car, then to Emma once more. "So, what're you going to do?"

"Ah, call a truck, and I don't live too far out." She told. "As you know."

Regina smiled. "Or," she popped her tongue, "you could park it, right there," she pointed to an empty space in the road, centered with a puddle of something, "and come get barbecue with us."

"Yeah?" Emma asked, squinting towards the brunette.

"Well, I mean, I ordered," she sighed, "an embarrassing amount of food."

"Hm." Emma nodded. "Well, only if it'll make you feel better."

"Don't act like you're doing me the favor." Regina chuckled.

"Just let me, do this.. shit." Emma replied, thumbing back to her car.

Regina nodded and went to wait in her vehicle, she unbuckled Sod and pushed him to the back seat. She crept up and out of the intersection, where she waited for Emma.

A minute later the blonde swung into the seat with a sigh, the chill of the air entering with her. "I forgot to tell you," she sighed, Regina looked to her with a curious face, "nice outfit."

Regina's face fell at Emma's smirk, he shook her head with pursed lips as she pressed hard on the gas. Emma chuckled as she jolted forward. Emma looked back when she felt wet breath on her ear, just peaking out over her dark beige beanie.

Turning with a confused face, she reached back to feel the short fur of Sod. Emma broke into a grin and turned her body fully so she could pet the backseat's occupant. "Ah, precious." She said, taking his face between her hands and scrubbing it.

Regina smiled, feeling just a bit betrayed every time someone else pet her dog. She pulled up to the building, the whole block was just drenched in the smell of meat and vegetables fried, and you could almost see the smoke from fires everywhere you looked.

Regina moved to open her door, when Emma sounded. "Wait, tea?" She asked.

"No." Regina told and shut the door. Inside, she paid, over thirty dollars, more than enough to share, even though she hadn't originally planned to, then picked up two thai iced teas for them both. Moving back outside with her hands full, she nearly tripped over the welcome mat, and upon seeing her struggle, Emma hopped out of the car and went to help.

"I didn't need your help." Regina said, after Emma took the bag.

"Of course not," Emma replied, moving back into the seat. Regina inwardly grinned as she started the engine and headed back to her house.

"Right." She said. "You don't mind if we eat at my house?"

"Considering we are already on the way, no." Emma replied.

"I'm sorry, I just figured," she trailed off.

"I suppose it's only fair that I know where you live as well, so the stalking can be a mutual thing."

"I only stalk on Tuesdays." Regina said quietly, her mind occupied by her attempt to merge left.

The drive wasn't too long, traffic being a bitch as it typically was, but that made it back to her house in Amityville before too long. Regina saw that what she had run over was a wooden shed that she nor Ruby had used in years, so she didn't feel guilty about that loss.

Once the garage door was humming shut, she and Emma exited the vehicle, the latter opening the back door for Sod, who hurried out and to the door.

Regina placed the drinks on the counter, Emma doing the same with the bag as she looked around. The house was nice, open, the living room could be seen from her place near the counter, it had plushy brown couches with a plethora of different colored blankets and pillows, mocha drapes, with lacy white liners.

The walls were painted a light blue that looked like the sky frozen in the mid morning. Emma inhaled the scent of dried vegetables and fresh cotton.

"So, I have ribs, ribs, udon noodles, kimchi guksu, and some.. vegetables, just for our health." She smiled, placing the containers on the wood of the counter.

"Ribs, noodles, please." Emma requested. Regina handed her a rib package, noodle box, and her tea as she served herself. Emma laughed and Regina began to just eat the meat from the container. "Hungry?" She asked.

Regina didn't bother to look up as she took seat at the bar. "Always." She replied.

"When I was a kid, I used to have these really bad stomach problems, so my mom never allowed me to eat in excess. It sucked, I threw up at my first buffet." Emma pulled a bone off the rack and bit off the tender meat.

Regina watched her for a moment, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "What kind of stomach problems?" She asked.

Emma tried to hide a grin. "Constipation. I could only poop like once a week unless I only at liquids and raw foods."

Regina nodded. "That's disgusting."

Emma shook her head and smiled as she dangled a noodle over her mouth. "On the bright side, I learned how to make a mean stew."

"Well, then that makes it all better, doesn't it?"

"Are you always this rude?" Emma asked.

Regina looked absolutely affronted. "Rude? You think I'm rude?" She moved her glasses up the rim of her nose.

"Well yeah, don't get me wrong, it's not an insult, I'm just wondering."

"Hm." Regina shook her head. "No one has ever asked me that."

"I'm surprised."

"Excuse me?"

Emma leaned forward. "I hate to be the one to tell you, but you walk around like your brain is flooded with a constant loop of Blink 182." Regina looked confused, Emma sighed. "You look pissed. Annoyed. Murderous with a hint of suicidal."

Regina nodded. "I see." She said, taking another zucchini slice on her fork. "And this is a bad thing? My face?"

"No, of course not, I was just wondering what's up, you know? You need a hug or something?"

Regina laughed. "No, Emma, I'm fine." She wiped her nose with her sleeve. "Just bored with the world I suppose."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"Because people are boring." Regina replied, obviously.

"All people?" She questioned.

"Do you always ask so many questions?" Regina rolled her eyes.

Emma looked past the sour remark. "Am I boring?" She asked.

Regina stared at her a moment, eyes full of mirth. "No, Emma, you are far from boring."

Emma rose her hands up in rejoice. "I." Emma said dramatically. "Have broken the chain!"

With a shake of her head, Regina took a sip of tea. Emma smiled back at her, soon turning to a smirk. "I like you, Regina, you've got it." She nodded.

"It?" She asked, intrigued.

"It." Emma replied finally.

"What, pray tell, is _it,_ exactly." Regina questioned.

"Not telling you." Emma replied with a hum. "You'll just have to figure this one out, yourself." Emma replied.

"Is that right?"

"Mhm." She nodded. "Bet no one's ever made you wait before, have they, _dear_?"

Regina blinked at the sudden wave of sarcasm that had crashed over her. "Wanna bet?"

Emma's face curled into a sly smile. "You know I do." She replied.

Regina wasn't sure if she'd rather punch Emma Swan in the jaw or kiss her senseless, but it was certainly one of the two. Equally infuriating as she was intriguing, she was definitely someone she wanted to stick around. Emma had brought some sharpness into her vision just as the world was beginning to blend into itself.

Emma Swan had inspired her.

 _There world is always seen as a place with little magic, little miracle, unless it is to be prayed for, begged for, earned. However, I know that magic can never be earned or asked for, it is something that comes to you when you least expect it, well, you probably didn't expect it at all. Magic, it can come in many forms, it's not always traditional as it may seem with witches and wizards, because in the real world, that hardly ever happens._

 _For me, magic came in the form of a light in the darkness. Before there was man or Earth or space, there was only the darkness, as it swirled around in different moods and tones, shades of gray. The darkness, wasn't a black like the night sky, it was shades of gray. I think that it was like this so that the evil could be separated from the good._

 _When I think of nothingness, I think of an oblivion, falling out of this world and into a new one, but not being able to stop the speed and get off into renewal. Knowledge is oblivion, what could have been, and what it was, but the lack of knowing what it will be. Everyone likes to know things, they would like to know everything._

 _Let me ask you a question, if given the means to unlimited knowledge, would you take it? The ability to see the future, the past, the end._

 _There's something funny about endings. It's that with each ending, comes a new beginning. When the darkness ended, in came the light, and with the light ended the darkness but began the new era of time, which soon ended, but it's memory continued._

 _There are not a lot of you, who think back to what there was before, too lost in the now, and your beginnings, your endings, but there will always be something before, something after. So, really, the end is never the end, and the beginning is never such either._

 _That leaves me to wonder, what was there before there was anything, what will there be when everything is long dead, gone?_

 _Now that, is a question in which the answer I can not even fathom. If I could then I'm sure I wouldn't be here, with this need to share my endings, my beginning as well._

 _I, am older than time, older than you, or anything that walks this Earth. I am older than the Earth itself, I saw the beginning of Earth, and I will be here to see it end. I have loved the journey so far, seeing how it has evolved and grown, as well as fallen._

 _The Earth is a magnificent place full of wonder, it is so underwhelming, but overwhelming. It is, contradictory, ironic even. Such a small little bulb but to it's inhabitants, ginormous, full of mystery. I have seen the largest of the planets, the largest of the stars, the largest of, well, everything._

 _I have seen the smallest of planets, of stars, of everything. I have seen new life, created, destroyed, different that the last, the first, each time. I have seen it all, the universe, it seems to never end, but of course it does, it must._

 _I pressed on the edges of the universe, it isn't a perfect oval, it is an irregular shape, with some edges closer to you than you may think, some farther away than you may ever be able to discover._

 _It's all beautiful, but it is no Earth. I am almost ashamed to say that Earth is the most fascinating of all the planets, humans the most fascinating of all life._

 _Somewhere in a galaxy, similar to your own in size and shape, there is a planet with atmosphere the likes of which you have yet to discover, and planets colder than you would ever be able to count. However, despite your odds, there was life there. Blooming, growing, and making it's own home, it's own world._

 _This planet, which they have never named, I have named Equ, is different than Earth, and I place it highly in my list of places to check up on._

 _The Equans, that is what I call them, are a small species, no bigger than your everyday house cat, they walk vertically on three legs, they are the color of your blue berries, they do not speak, they communicate in waves of infrared light from their eyes, they, are truly beautiful._

 _I have yet to see them do more than communicate, staring at one another for hours on end, before turning into themselves and going into a type of regeneration spell, which last for 10 years on Earth. I have yet to see them age, or fall ill, I do not understand their language, their existence in itself is befuddling even to me._

 _I have never been confused by much, truth be told, there is nothing in this world that I do not know the answer to, except for them. I think that if humans were ever faced with these creatures, they would tear them to bits to figure out how and why they work this way._

 _While I do agree it is a method for discovery, it is a cruel one at that. Humans have always been resourceful, but the mean they use to get wha they seek are not ones that I agree with. Not that this matters in any shape, because I can not interfere, not in great forms. I can just observe. Watch as worlds crash and burn._

 _I am fascinated with it all, the different worlds and species how they work and how they fade off into the rest. I can tell stories of eons and eons of creation and destruction, but none of it would make a single difference._

 _I want to tell of Earth's journey, I want to tell of how I have observed your world, then I may tell you of how you end. If you remain patient._

 _In the beginning, there was a zap of blue that extended on for billions of miles in each direction. From that blast came the rock and the pull of origin, around that pull rock began to gravitate towards the center._

"Damn it!" Regina slammed her laptop shut in a huff. "Can't fucking write for shit." She stood and made her way towards the window, pulling out a small metal box containing her last joint from three weeks ago when Ruby had thrown a party. Of course, the deal was, if she gave her a box of already rolled then she wouldn't tell Granny.

Ruby happily upheld her end of the bargain, and gave Regina what she wanted. The party was a full of loud and obnoxious people, she lost count after 10 the amount of times someone tried her knob.

Taking a long hit she fell back into her bean bag chair with an 'oof' as Sod stared at her with a look of disapproval from his place on the foot of the bed.

"You know, I thought I had something," she told as smoke fell out of her mouth, "really, I did." She told him. "Guess, Miss Swan isn't as inspiring as I made her out to be."

Sod rested his head in his paws and continued his glare. "And you know what else, I hate this job, I'm thinking maybe, this could be the end." He blinked condescendingly. "Of End." She nodded, dragging out another hit. "I don't care." She told him, he closed his eyes. "Shut up."

"Ma!" Emma called from her place in bed.

"What!" Mary Margret yelled from the living room.

"Co'mere!" Emma replied. "Please!" She yelled back after a moment, five minutes later when her mother had yet to make an appearance she threw her covers off and over Ox, who attempted to wrestle out of the maze of blankets.

Emma stomped into the living room where she found her mother, reading Cosmo. "What the heck?" She said. "I called you."

MM didn't look up. "I heard you." She told. "I just figured you'd get up if you needed me."

Emma scoffed. "I could have been dying, I could be dead, _Mother."_

Her mother looked to her and shrugged. "Oops."

"Whatever." Emma chuckled, falling into her recliner. "So, where were you yesterday."

MM closed her magazine and crossed her legs. "I went to get breakfast, then took a trip to the library. It's quite nice."

"Yeah, it rocks."

"Where did you go?"

"Funny story," Emma rubbed her neck, "I went to go meet up with Belle, she wanted to give me back some clothes I lent her, then go get something to eat, but Gold called her and needed her to take up an extra shift." She told. "So, on my way home, I run in to Regina," MM perked up, "literally."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, I crashed my car into her car." Emma nodded.

"Emma!"

"Sh! No, stop, it was just a dent, August is going to fix it, damn it." Emma hushed. "Then, we got food, then we went to her place, then she drove me home, then I took a nap."

"And?" MM raised her brow. "You had fun?" She sang.

"No, Mom." Emma deadpanned. "We just ate and talked, it was nice though, I think it made up for our scare the last time."

"Yeah?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah," she told her, beginning to blush.

"You like her?"

"No," Emma shot down, unconvincingly, "psh."

"Mhm." Her mother nodded. "What's wrong, she straight?"

Emma laughed. "God, no, I don't know, we never got that deep into conversation, I literally can't imagine her being with anyone, she's so," Emma condensed her hands around an imaginary ball, "into her own little world."

"I see." Mary Margret nodded.

"But, I know she likes me a little, she said I am not boring." Emma said as if she was called most beautiful woman in the world instead.

"That's great, Em." MM told her daughter, looking back to her magazine, "so, your father called today." She began, going on to tell her all of the latest conversation with her husband, how he missed them, to send his regards.

Emma listened on, petting her dog, trying not to blush at the thought of her afternoon spent with Regina.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, writer's block is such a cruel mistress. Or maybe just a bitch. Yeah, let's go with that. Mistakes, I own them, I make them.**

After the crash incident, Emma had made it her goal to find a nice bone inside of Regina's body. It had been a week of planning and bored messaging, and she finally had a date. Unfortunately, she was planning, and had no idea what to do.

So, she called up the only person she knew who had been any and everywhere in the city, "Belle,' she said in a breath when the woman answered.

"Emma," Belle mocked the tone.

"I need help." She told.

"Oh no, not-" Belle worried.

Emma shook her head, "no, no, nothing like that."

Belle nodded. "Okay,"

"I have a date," Emma blurted, she could hear a small gasp on the other side of the line. "I have no idea where to go."

Belle mulled it over a moment, "you could go to dinner."

The blonde rolled her eyes, "that's awful. It has to be something awesome."

Belle smirked, holding the phone into her shoulder as she went to making another expresso. "Someone special?" She asked, Emma groaned. "Alright, well tell me about him."

"Her." Emma spoke.

"Right." Belle replied.

Emma nodded, "well she is awful and mean and sarcastic." She listed, "she likes dogs and books and food and Grey's Anatomy." She gave.

Belle smiled. "Awful and mean?" She asked. "Oh! I got it, you could take her to the Pottery Barn and make mugs, then you could go to that-"

"I hate that." Emma admitted. "It's not good enough."

Belle blinked slowly, "well,"

"I'm sorry."

"Let me know what you decide." Belle told.

Emma nodded, "I will, thanks for trying." She said and hung up, tossing her tablet phone onto the bed beside her.

Ox saw this as an invitation to move onto the bed and look up at her with pleading eyes. Emma looked to him and in his sad bulging eyes that just cried in need to pee, she knew. She. _Knew._

Swiping up her phone quicker than a monkey's uncle, she smacked it painfully on her ear as she listened to the ringing.

"You," came the voice on the other end.

Emma smirked, "me."

Laying in bed all day was no preparation for the date that she was half dreading and half jumping out of her skin in anticipation for. It was a date, right? Emma made it seem more like some kind of casual hang out between friends, but she ended it with 'it's a date', so it's a date.

"It's a date," she told Sod, who's glassy eyes stared up into her. If she had a soul, he would sure as heck be looking into that. She had a soul. Unless no one had a soul? Damn, and here she thought she was special.

After Ruby had gotten the job as an assistant to her publishing company's president, she had had a lot of alone time. Time to reflect, time to talk to herself in skit forms and try her hand at all the accents she could differentiate. Really, she could find not a distinction between Russian and German accents, at least, not in her voice.

Her most dominant character was Mother Russia, who only spoke in demeaning and angry slurs about bread and hard times. Then, there was Violet, who was a very angry southern girl who's boyfriend was a mule. Violet and M.R. did not get along, always a fun banter, though.

Digging through her closet, she asked Mother for help, because if anyone knew how to dress, it was the Mother.

"I'm thinking, high waisted jeans?" She asked.

" _Are you out of mind?"_ Mother replied, " _have you seen pouch? You resemble marsupial, not human girl, no front butt."_

Regina nodded, "so, no jeans at all?"

" _Yes jeans! You can't wear skirt, then you look like two bit whore. Two bit whores steal bread and leave."_

"You're right." Regina replied. "Low rise, jeans, dark, no light wash, rips?" Mother nodded. "Ooh, yes, boyfriend jeans, this," she threw a peach halter top onto the bed, "and gray sweater." She told. "Yes?"

" _Good enough."_ Mother replied.

"Excellent," Regina smiled, soon it died, "oh god." She said in realization. Was this what crazy people do? She thought it over before nodded, probably.

"Hey so," I have a favor to ask," Emma said, vocally twirling her hair.

The man sighed, "oh, god."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say!" She accused.

"Knowing you," he began.

Emma shook her head, "you know what, don't even finish that statement, okay?"

He chuckled, "alright, what's up?"

"I want a date, in the ambulance." She told.

He laughed wholly, "you're kidding?"

"Nope, serious as a heart attack," she told, "which is, you know, not something that I would want to watch."

"Dude, no way." He replied.

"I also want to observe a surgery." He laughed. "I'm serious."

"I know you are." He replied, still chuckling. "But you do realize, I am an intern, right?"

"I am aware."

"And no one cares what I say, or do, right?"

"So?"

"So I am telling you no."

Emma scoffed, "please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Neal!" She shouted into the line.

"Emma!" He mocked.

"What can you do, then?"

Neal mulled over the question, then opened his mouth, "well," he began.

" _And I wanna be, bigger than Jesus, and bigger than wrestling, bigger than the beatles, and bigger than breast implants, gonna be the biggest thing to hit these little kids. Bigger than guns, bigger than cigarettes."_ Regina sang, the only part in the song she knew, the chorus. It was a good chorus, and she was proud of her ability to have memorized it.

In the end, she decided on wearing Converse instead of Vans or sandals, because her feet were swollen and it was cold. Also, Vans made her feel like a 13 year old emo boy. Which she was, but that would be just advertising it to the world. She liked to keep her true self on the down low, just to keep up presences.

Now, she was waiting on her couch, clutching the smallest bag she had, only because it just barely matched her outfit, and she waited for Emma to arrive. The blonde was in traffic the last time she had heard from her, and complaining rather than driving through it. Something that Regina found ridiculous and life threatening, as well as time consuming, and after telling the woman such, had not heard from her since.

"Maybe she ditched me for being mean." She told Sod, who was drooling on her exposed thigh. He looked up briefly, then back to the door, which he seemed to be insistent on watching at all times. Just in case.

"I am mean." She told, he didn't look up this time, "thanks." She replied to his silence. Stroking his ear, she went into deep thought to distract herself from this impending disaster.

 _Are prostate tumors, like, ribbed dildos?_

She wondered.

 _Do they hurt or feel good? Wait, wait. Okay, they feel good to the one topping but the one being topped is in deep distress._

She smirked.

 _Yeah he is._

In the middle of her revolutionary conversation, there was a knock. It came from the door, as if it could have come from anywhere else. That would be a haunting, not a visitor. Sod shot up from his place, as his destiny of door had been fulfilled. After barking twice and moving on to scratch at the door knob he couldn't reach, he waited with his tail wagging and his feet unable to touch the ground longer than a moment.

Regina made it to the door about six seconds after he had his fit, and opened it slowly to Emma, holding a green back with red trees on it.

"Hi." Emma smiled.

"Hey," Regina returned, looking down to the bag, "what's in the box?"

Emma laughed, "I need to come in." She told.

"Do invite yourself." Regina teased.

Emma looked at her seriously, "I will leave, and you will miss out."

Regina quirked a brow, "that is quite a bold statement."

Emma crossed into the living room, placing the bag on the couch, "I wouldn't say it if it weren't true." She told, digging through and pulling out a pair of scrubs in dark purple. "You need to wear this."

Regina looked, well, affronted, after all of that. "Not that you don't look awesome, but we need to blend in." Emma told.

"Blend in?"

Emma nodded, "we're going to be doctors."

Regina tried to hide a smirk, "doctors?"

Emma smiled, "that's the idea." She told, and began to elaborate before she could hear a snide reply. "You see, I wanted to do something fun, but not something that you have probably already done before, and you know, you like Grey's, and I mean, you probably haven't snuck into a hospital and pretended to be world class doctors to observe some traumas."

Regina laughed, "so we're trauma surgeons?" She asked.

Emma grinned, " _specialists."_ She replied, handing the brunette the scrubs, "and they are waiting for us, we are actually already there, but you know, we got lost or something."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I was scared and having second thoughts about the huge possibility of getting arrested, and you know, cried in my car, but then I thought, 'yeah,' and here I am!" Emma said quickly.

"This is awesome." Regina told, her grin about to split her face. "I think it's better if we change there, in the lounge, because if we show up wearing scrubs, they're going to wonder how we got them before we even stepped foot into the place."

Emma nodded, "you're right." Regina shrugged, "alright, let's go."

Meanwhile, Emma's newly adopted wingman, Neal the intern, who held absolutely no power, ha to figure out how to tell the attending running the E.R. about the two alien trauma specialists that no one has ever heard of, would be coming to observe how things run around here.

"Dr. Elks," he greeted with an award winning smile. The blonde woman looked up, glaring upon instinct. However, it was not enough to let his smile die.

"What do you want?" She asked, turning back down.

He cleared his throat, "right. Well, a, uh, couple of woman who taught me in," he thought, "med school." He nodded, but the woman was yet to look up, "they want to come and observe the E.R. see how it runs."

"Why?" Elks asked.

Neal nodded, shrugged, "they kept in contact with me, and back then I was leaning more towards General, now that I have had my taste of trauma, though," he clicked his tongue.

"Who are they?"

"Trauma specialists," he said quietly, "from Canada."

Elks looked up and into his eyes, hers like lasers, and him an unwanted tattoo of a penis. "Names?"

"Dr. Jensen's." He told, she continued to glare. "They are married."

"No."

"Please, just for an hour, just one surgery, please."

She looked to him in contempt, "groveling?" She asked.

"They're hot, I want to impress them."

"You should be trying to impress me," she picked up charts and began to walk around the counter. "One surgery, then they leave."

Neal smiled baby wide, "thank you!"

"But you are doing my scut for the rest of the month." She called back.

Neal nodded, his smile turning to a frown. Pulling out his phone, he texted Emma,

 **You: You owe me, Dr. Jensen**

Emma smiled down at her phone once she got the text, then she turned to Regina. For the past thirty minutes they had been sitting in the hospital parking garage waiting for Neal to text her, give an okay for them to go in.

They shuffled out of the car and into an elevator, where he was waiting for them at the bottom of.

Before they could say their hello's, he was showing little laminated cards at them, "visitor's pass, wear it, own it." He told.

Emma and Regina each took one, "this is Neal." She said.

Regina nodded and extended her hand, which he ignored to turn and lean against the wall, bouncing on his heels. "You know, I could get fired for this, then no hospital would take me, and I would live on the streets, or worse," his voice cracked, "become a male nurse."

Regina chuckled, then leaned into Emma, "007." She whispered.

Emma laughed, then smacked him on the shoulder, "don't worry, I was in theatre."

He shuddered in a laugh with little humor, "that's reassuring." He said and slapped his thighs as the doors slid open, and he went rigid. "Let's hope it stuck." He said aside.

Regina smirked and posed herself, standing tall, because that is just how Dr. Jensen would. Emma did the same, trying to breathe in the essence of a doctor. So basically, today, she was an intelligent cunt who sniffed formaldehyde in her spare time.

"This, is the Attending's lounge, you will be granted full use of it in your stay here, cafeteria is down there, bathrooms,"

"I have been here before, Neal." Emma interrupted his rant.

"Yes, but Dr. Jensen has not." He told. "I thought you were in theatre," he accused.

Emma reeled back, "go on." She told, looking over at Regina, who looked about with judgmental yet aloof eyes. When she caught Emma staring, her gaze softened.

Leaning closer, she broke her character, "I was in forensics throughout high school, you're looking at first place in Nationals HI two years running." She bragged with a smirk.

Emma's brows went up as she smiled along, "what about the other two?" She asked.

Regina nodded, "Original Oratory, boom."

"Impressive," Emma complimented.

"I know," Regina shrugged, "let's do this, Dr. Jensen." She said, and the slip into character was evident, even to Emma.

Neal was sauntering up with a blonde woman, who looked them over with the same eyes Regina was giving her. "Doctors, this is my superior, Dr. Elks, she's overseeing the E.R."

Elks nodded, stuck out her hand to Regina, who glared at it, before sniffling and turning to Neal, "you said we would be meeting with the Head of the Trauma Department." She scolded.

Elks reeled back and cleared her throat, "he's not in today, so I'm afraid your stuck with the next best thing."

Regina nodded, "which is you?" Elks nodded in response, "mm." She said, turning back to Neal. "Lounge? I want to get down there."

Elks pointed her in the direction they came, then looked to Emma, who smiled, "I'm the other Dr. Jensen," she paused, "Mary Ann." Elks shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you," she said with a smile, just as her pager went off, "okay, I've got an incoming, car crash, let's move," she looked back at Emma, "you want in?"

"I am only here for viewing purposes." She grinned and watched as the woman ran off shouting a 'your loss.' Emma turned and mouthed a 'wow' as she went in the trail of Regina.

"I just got invited," Regina looked shocked, pulling the scrub pants over her hips, " _invited_ , to help operate."

With an impressed nod, she turned to take off her shirt, "was I convincing?" She asked.

Emma smiled, "that was acting?"

Regina chuckled, "funny."

"Yes, you were, she was terrified." Emma smiled, and went to change beside her, "what the hell are we going to do when we get out there? What if they ask us questions?"

Regina popped her tongue, pulling her hair, "just say, 'aren't you supposed to be telling me?'" She told.

Emma nodded, watching as she pulled her hair up, "leave it down, scarier."

Regina affirmed and pulled it down, looking to Emma with a shit eating grin, "this is awesome." She told.

Emma held back her smile and nodded, "I know!" She squealed and jumped a little, pulling the top over her head.

The brunette regarded her, "you should put yours up, since you're the nice one."

Her companion nodded, and did so, "tie?" She asked, and was handed one, "ready?"

Regina nodded, "Dr. Jensen," she said pointedly, holding the door open for her.

"Please, call me Mary Ann." She winked.

Regina gawked, "that is just god-awful."

Emma snickered before composing herself, "I know!"

Regina absorbed her character as they entered the ER, just exploding in activity, "let's do this." She said, and headed towards the first room, where she spotted Elks.

"Push six of EPI!" She shouted at a nurse, looking up briefly as she spotted Regina, who wore a scowl ,"uh, 20 year old male came in with multiple contusions, spinal fracture and possible internal bleeding."

"What is your directive?" Regina asked, curiously, looking at the bloodied and battered man on the table.

"Keep him alive," Elks replied.

Regina snorted, "I'm going to need more information than that."

"You want to treat him?" She asked angrily.

"I'm asking how you would do it," she replied calmly.

Elks began compressions as the patient began to flatline, "get him in to CT, get a-an OR, booked I-" she panicked, "this is only my third year, I never run the ER, I'm always up in Peds!"

Regina was internally screaming as she watched, Elks looked at her with pleading eyes, "help me." She asked.

Emma's eyes went wide, Regina swallowed hard and moved to the table, "gown," she asked and a nurse handed her one, before she was tossed gloves.

 _Okay Grey, teach me._

She looked down to the table, Elks still compressing, "there's nothing we can do until he gets up to CT, have Neal take him, but he will need surgery, his abdominal area if distended, and that mean?" She looked to Elks.

"It means, uh,"

"Uh?" Regina shouted.

"It means internal bleeding, possible infection."

"Correct, now go," Regina pointed out of the room, Neal took the bed and Elks headed out to the next patient.

"What happened?'

Regina started breathing heavily, "I don't, i don't know, I may or may not have just killed that guy." She admitted, eyes wide.

"Should we leave?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head and looked up with a smirk, "hell no. Let's go." She said and pulled Emma into the next room, after a running Elks.

"24 year old female bike rider, hit by a car, obvious injuries to the cranium, broken arm, pelvic fracture, likely bleeding in the brain, I have ordered a head CT, pump three of A neg!" She listed. Regina nodded, Emma stared shocked down at the woman, who's brain was just barely inside of her head. "Holding pressure to open wounds, I need 10 of morphine," she said as the woman screamed as she was lifted onto the table and the gurney was pulled out.

The monitor began to beep out of control, Elk looked up to it and then down at the patient, "I need a chest tube!" She ordered. A nurse ran out and handed her a package when she returned. Elks ripped it open, pulled a needle, "ten blade!" She shouted, then opened the woman on her side and inserted the tube, which just as soon as then began to spew blood.

"We need Neuro down here, exactly now, and call Banks in Ortho."

Regina nodded in silent respect for the woman, who flushed and gestured back. "Nice work." Regina told.

Elks pushed past her and out to the doors, where there was a new case headed in, this one sitting up, and screaming down at the bone jumping out of his leg, Elks ran to him, followed by Neal, "Worm, how's the-"

"In surgery," he replied, Emma sighing in relief, "he almost crashed in CT, but that's when we noticed his uneven pupils,"

"I need you here!" A nurse yelled from the door, Neal ran to it, it being a little girl no older than six crying for her Daddy. The nurse let her go into Neal's arms and he took her over to a bunch of chairs.

Emma turned to Regina, "I'm going to sit with her instead," she said.

Regina's smile fell as she shook her head, "what do you-"

"Go, I'm about to throw up." She admitted, heading towards the seating area, turning to shoo Regina away, who ran to the room where the screams originated. "Go." She then told Neal.

"Swan can't hang?" He asked. She shook her head and smiled at the girl, who clutched Neal like a life source. "Elks is scared shitless of your date." He chuckled.

"Yeah, she really owned the role." Emma laughed.

"She's cool." He admitted. "You think it'll lead anywhere?"

Emma puffed out a sigh and placed her hand on her forehead, "I don't know." She shrugged. "I just-"

"Worm!" Came a shout from across the space. Emma shot up, and glared at Elks, who glared at Neal, who looked sadly at the girl he held.

"Hey, I gotta go, this is Emma, she's going to take you to find some really cool pudding." He told. The girl nodded and stood, but he was gone before Emma could follow suit.

"Hey, pudding?" She asked cheerily. The girl sniffled and nodded, extending her hand to the blonde, who took it and began to walk. "What's your name?"

Regina was nearly nose deep into the man on the table, after asking Elks if she could get a closer look, she was then asked to be aware of exploding vessels. "What do you-" She began just as a spurt came and made her look like Dr. Murder. "Right." She nodded, suppressing the urge to giggle and grin, as that is not what doctors do.

"Will you help me set this?" Elks asked.

Regina squealed inside, "where do you want me?" She asked.

Oh, that crack.

Two hours later, she met Emma in the cafeteria, holding a cup of coffee that only made her feel like she belonged, because she hated coffee. She raced up to Emma and sat with a squeal, her hair no up, her brow sweating.

"I have had the most awesome day." She said. "I got to set a freaking leg, and I didn't fuck it up, and," she sighed, "thank you so much."

"You really had fun?" Emma asked.

"I am frac-sure I did." Regina replied, then held her face in a punny grin as she waited for Emma's reaction.

The blonde just shook her head, "hey, they have some really good pudding, if you," she began, but before she could finish, Regina's lips were pressed roughly against her, well, mostly her nose.

The brunette only laughed, and spit a little on her face, which she wiped up, "I'm sorry,"

Emma grinned, "no, I just,"

"I rushed it, then I missed, and I don't wanna,"

"Try again," Emma told. Regina smiled and moved back in, this time, reaching her target before pulling back with a small bite.

With blushed cheeks, she took her seat once more, trying not to lick over her lips. "So, pudding?" She asked.

Emma just gave a sly smile, as she wrapped her arms tighter around the girl in her lap, Madison. "We had banana."

When she got home at 11, having stayed at the hospital from 7 to 11, three hours longer than expected, but time went by fast, then having about a forty minute commute and long face sucking session in Emma's car, rental. Once she walked in, she was greeted by the smell of cooking food, or rather, burning food, and giggles and gasps coming from the living room. When she looked over, she saw Ruby, but she walked to quickly to let her gazes linger. The only note that she was here, and not in the mood to guest star in the porn her house would have became, was a pointed slamming of the front door.

" _Shit,"_ She heard Ruby utter, then clearing of throats, a ruffling of pillows, and then footsteps. "Hey." Ruby said as if she was 14 again and Granny just caught her with a boy in her room, or almost.

Regina was still smiling, "hey." She said, a little too cheery, and it didn't go unnoticed by her sister. "What was this?" She asked, pulling out the black char in a pan from the over.

"Cake." Ruby nodded, "strawberry."

Regina just pursed her lips and studied it, before tossing the whole thing on the counter, making more noise than anticipated. "I could have picked something up, or I could order, or,"

"Oh honey, what's wrong?" Ruby asked, concerned.

The honey in question, shook her head, "what do you-" she began as a cold hand was placed on her forehead, her cheek, she slapped it away.

"You're warm, are you sick, do you have the cancer?" Ruby asked.

Regina rolled her eyes and turned to the fridge, "empty."

"You have the cancer, huh, and this is where you try to make amends to your family, but I'm sorry,"

"Shut up." Regina laughed, pulling out a soda. "I just had a really great day."

"Mm, yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but you can wait till tomorrow to hear about it."

"Ah," Ruby groaned.

"Have fun!" Regina replied, retreating up the stairs and to her room.

Ruby shook her head and headed back to the living room, but not after grabbing two beers for her and her date.

Emma got home late, and to a puddle of pee, but luckily, not a boop of poop. "Hey, buddy, outside?" She asked, Ox waggled around as she picked up his extendo leash and clipped it onto his collar, the spiked one.

As she was walking out of the door, she felt a sharp pain, that was sadly, all too recognizable, "fuck." She swore, and fell against the wall. Tossing Ox back into the open door, she called her neighbor, who was out in a moment, then she called the paramedics.

Looked as if her night were taking a turn.


	6. Chapter 6

Ruby had been violently attempting to crack her door open for the past twenty minutes. The room was just barely dim enough to see, and the act that the incessant woman was awake and ready to bother her, was something awful in it's own.

She'd been staring at the door, mostly at the shadows the shifting feet made beneath as she waited for them to finally, maybe, just leave.

"Regina!" The knob was tried, "I know you're fucking," again, "awake!" Ruby groaned and hit the door. "Get up, you have a meeting, you fuck."

That's when her body went cold, and she remembered. Press release. "Shit," she muttered and shoved herself off the bed. Once her vision had cleared once more, she threw herself into her closet, pulling out the only suit she had. Once she did, she examined it only to find that the blouse that she attached to it, had been missing.

"Ruby!" She shouted. "My shirt!" She threw the ensemble down to the bed and flung the door open, "why the fuck do you keep taking my stuff!" She complained, "I never have anything." She turned into Ruby's room, to see her wearing said blouse. "Dude."

The girl looked down at the top, before shrugging into the mirror and continuing to apply lipstick, the color of cheap cherries. "What the hell are you doing?" Regina asked.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked slowly, turning to her confused.

"You wear nude!" Regina told, storming into the room, riffling through the array of make ups. Once she found the peach colored stick, she handed it to her sister. "No one is going to take you seriously if you look like," after looking her up and down she bitterly ended, " _that_."

Ruby gave her sister a challenged glare, crossing her arms a moment before going back to her application. "Jesus! How old are you? You look like you just raided your mother's make up."

Ruby smacked her lips, "if you don't like it, look away, honey."

Regina growled and stomped out of the room, "you're taking the Saturn!" She yelled.

"First one out the door gets it!" Ruby yelled, then all Regina could hear was the muffled sounds of heels down the carpeted stairs and out the door.

"Fucking," Regina said, trailing off.

Since she hardly dressed to the nines, she was having trouble finding anything suitable, so she trotted into Ruby's closet, toothbrush in her mouth, Sod following close behind. Throwing everything unsuitable onto the floor in spite, she found the only dress that didn't show cervix, and whimpered since it was a halloween costume. It was a waitress dress, white with little red cherries. The ruffled apron was detachable, and she decided this was as good as it was going to get.

Yanking the dress one, followed by red vans, she quickly filled in her eyebrows and flicked on mascara before walking out the door. Ruby had taken Granny's car, so she was stuck with the Saturn again. She would think after becoming a successful write she'd think it necessary to purchase a new car instead of driving around the same one she'd spilled forties in when she was 17.

Apparently not something high on her to do list, which wasn't very long.

Driving through the almost annoying amount of traffic, she arrived at the publishing house, Spun Gold, and rushed inside.

"Hey," she said to the receptionist as she pulled her bra strap back over her shoulder. "I'm here for a meeting, name's Mills."

The woman looked at her distastefully, "room 4011." She clicked her tongue, "that's on the fourth floor."

Regina forced a laugh, "I gathered," she replied, knocking over a cup of pens on her way towards the elevator. "Whoops. That's on the floor."

The woman muttered something as Regina walked away with a smirk on her face. So nice to do something crude when the weather is just nearly freezing.

When she reached the elevator, she took a deep breath, she always really hated elevators. Luckily she wasn't going too far up, but a four story drop could still kill her and whoever else is riding it with her. It would be tragic if she died with someone who worked in the sleaziest publishing company that ever disgraced the face of the earth.

While that sounds like an insult, it's really a great compliment. She made at least 4 times the amount she would have been making if she went with one with a better yet worse reputation.

The ride up the elevator was full of as little anxiety as she could possible feel, which was still about 20% above a normal level for a functioning human adult riding in an elevator. A new record. She had made it to the fourth floor, and after only going to wrong way once, then twice, she found herself asking for directions.

"The room was very well hidden," she told the man who had walked her to the door. "Thank you." He nodded and walked off.

Regina entered the room to see her publisher, Mr. Gold, sitting at the head of the table along with 3 or 4 other people who were clearly editors and publicists, she could tell by the way their eyes glowed green, with their crows feet that took credit or debit.

"Miss Mills, how kind of you to show," Mr. Gold greeted.

"My pleasure." Regina replied equally as snarky as the man, taking a seat next to him, across from the eager minions.

"Let's get started then, shall we," he said, standing.

Regina rested her head onto her arm on the table, she fucking hated meetings.

The hospital was not one of her favorite places to be, it gave her anxiety and reminded her of a time in her life she'd rather forget. It smelled like sterile shit, and the people were all angry, annoying, or absent, sometimes the really good ones were all three.

Closing her eyes, she counted as high as she could before hearing footsteps entering her room. It was Neal. Emma smiled, and opened her mouth to speak, but Neal beat her to it.

"How dare you get hurt on my day off."

She chuckled, "you have days off?"

He grinned, "no, but I was taking a nap, which got replaced by coffee and a trip down into the freezer. You owe me about 6 hours of sleep."

"That is such a dick thing to say, you don't do anything but paperwork, you could very well have just gone to sleep and it would make no impact on my heath."

Neal laughed, "as true as that is, do you really think I would do that?"

"No," she said, opening her arms as an invite for him to hug her.

"You smell like sweaty bleach." He said, pulling away.

"Honestly, you, too." Emma replied. Neil laughed.

"You feel okay?" He asked, running a hand through his scalp.

Emma nodded, "as fucking okay as can be expected." She replied. "I just can't believe that my kidney had the audacity to fuck with me right the fuck after I had surgery, not even three months ago."

He shook his head, "rough, man, maybe it was just meant to be that you have one kidney. You're pretty lucky, though man, because hadn't you found a match you could probably be dead on the floor right now, like waiting for your neighbors to smell your rotting corpse as it decayed and your dog started to nibble away at your fingers," he took a breath.

Emma made a face, "yeah, lucky you're done talking."

He winked at her, just as his pants beeped, "gots to go." He told, then ran out the door, "talk later!"

Emma closed her eyes and fell into the stiff pillowcase, inhaling a scent that was too familiar, holding memories of so many bad times in her life. Just when she thought things were looking out for the better. She should have known things would not be that easy.

Regina leaned back into the plushy chair, rocking back and forth as she chewed on a pen that she had stolen from the front desk. Some woman was talking about the cover for her next print, unsurprisingly, Regina hated the idea, it was too busy, Regina wanted something simple that would reflect the tone this story.

"What do you think?" The woman asked, clasping her hands together as the rest of the men and women clapped lightly, except Regina, and they all looked to her.

She shrugged, "I think you probably didn't read the book," the woman looked away in annoyance, and Regina moved forward, "which doesn't bother me, I could care less who in here read it, but I think that if you are going to try and sell me a cover design you should at least understand the story."

"I get your story, Miss Mills, which is why I think this design is perfect for it." Regina laughed. "Excuse me?" The woman asked, growing more agitated with each sounds Regina made.

"Okay lady, you must be," Regina began as her phone buzzed, "hold on." She held up a hand, everyone looked amongst each other, annoyed, but sat silently. Regina opened a message from Emma, a picture of her in the hospital bed, with the caption **Guess who's back, back again.** Regina replied asking where she was and could she come see her, before looking up. "This cover is too bright and too busy for my story, I get you just want to sell or whatever, but it gives a different impression than I want it to. The cover needs to be dark, purple or red, the title in lavender."

The woman nodded, "I'll see what I can do."

"Great, are we done here?" She looked to Gold, who was typing away on his smartphone, she knew he didn't look up the entire meeting, and his being here was only a formality.

He looked over to her, putting his device away and gripping his cane, "yes, excellent as always, Regina, I'll be seeing you soon to go over plans for the tour and release parties."

"I thought you weren't making me do a tour." She stated.

He chuckled, walking out, expecting her to follow him, "well sales were at an all time high on your last book, so it seems only logical that you would take advantage of your fifteen minutes of fame and make an even bigger impression."

She nodded, as he was right, "just let me know."

"We'll be in contact, take care." He replied, going up the elevator to the top floor, where his office was.

Regina didn't say anything as she waited for the next elevator heading down, trying not to think about falling and dying as her irrational fear pried the floodgates of anxiety open. She tapped the stolen pen on her thigh until the elevator doors opened at the ground floor, and she all but ran to the parking garage, happier than a ghost in downtown LA to be out of there.

Regina drove as fast as her shitty car would drive, and traffic would allot, as per the legal speed limit, to the hospital where Emma was. The same one she had taken her on their date, and the same one she'd had her operation in. She called Emma, because she wasn't sure if she asked the nurse that the angry looking woman would even let her go in.

"Hey, I'm here." Regina greeted.

"Hey, same." Emma replied.

Regina stopped in her tracks at the audacity, "okay, where?" She asked.

Emma laughed. "Room 324." Regina groaned, "what?" Emma asked.

"I'm on the second floor."

"Ooh, so sorry, is there anything I can do?" She asked.

Regina hung up the phone, smiling and headed off to find an elevator. The hospital was packed, and at least three people had bumped into her in her search, She would think that after spending a fair share of tim ein this place that she would have a fuck clue where she's going.

Finally, towards the end of the hall she was given sweet release, an elevator, a holy elevator waited for her. She pressed the button, and thinking of room 324, the elevator didn't even phase her.

Making her way quickly to the room, she turned in, nearly knocking over a nurse in pink scrubs, "I'm sorry!" Regina scrambled, holding on to the woman's arm.

The nurse jerked her arm away, "it's fine," she replied, pushing past Regina and out of the room.

Regina glared at her as she left, "that was rude."

Emma smiled, "which part?" She asked.

Regina mocked a laugh and sat criss cross on the edge of her bed, "so what happened?"

Emma sighed, "just my dumb ass kidney, trying to fail again."

Nodding, "right, but didn't you just have a transplant?" She asked.

"Yep," Emma stated, "it's my original kidney."

"Oh," Regina said quietly, "sorry."

Emma laughed, kicking her friend in the arm, "it's fine! Stop being so nice, it's making me feel like I'm dying or some shit."

Regina chuckled, "if you ever touch me with your foot again, you will be."

Emma smiled, "she doesn't like feet? Why am I not surprised?"

After a couple of hours of banter and a game of cards, Regina was forced to leave as visiting hours were up, and Emma had a final CAT scan in the morning. On her drive home, the traffic was uncharacteristically light, and her CD only skipped once. Which, could make any day a good day. Regina was feeling good about her day, albeit a tad tired towards the end. Emma had told her that her parents were on their way down to take her home for Thanksgiving, and that she would like to see her once more before she left. Of course, Regina was excited at the possibility, and surprisingly upset that she wouldn't see the blonde then for weeks.

Regina shook the blonde from her mind, because she hated that she had so easily invaded her thoughts. She focused instead on how nice of a night it was, and thought about how stoked she was to finally go eat food after having forced herself not to indulge in any of the oh so scrumptious looking hospital food. Also, she had a burrito waiting for her, that was supposed to be eaten right after her meeting, but never happened. Then, it hit her, as she whipped her phone out and called Ruby.

"Did you eat my fucking burrito?" She asked.

"No, I'm not even home, dude."

Regina let out a sigh of relief, pulling of the bridge and up to the stoplight. "There is a god. Wait, where are you?" She asked.

"Gots to go, later dude." Ruby said, hanging up before Regina could even reply.

She pulled into the garage, nearly running over the stupid fucking sled for what would have been the sixth time since the first. Regina muttered to herself, turning off the engine and opening the door, attempting to get out of the car, only to be yanked back by her still buckled seat belt. Regina closed her eyes and laughed her herself, undoing the belt and slowly standing up. Inside the house, the only light came from a candle, she rolled her eyes, moving to blow it out as she thought of the time that Ruby had burned half of her room from leaving a candle burning while she slept. It sounds like it would be funny, but their cat, Pumpkin had been killed in the ordeal.

Regina swung opened the fridge, dancing around to a beat of her own as she did, and snatched up her burrito. Opening the foil, she was unsure of what her next move was to be; eat it cold? Microwave it? The possibilities were not endless, but the choice was difficult nonetheless. If she used the microwave, then it became soggy and mushy, synonyms to disgusting as well as to each other. Though eating it cold would leave room for flavors that needed heat to blossom.

Pondering what she knew would lead to be a choice that could make or break a night of joy, she shut the fridge, her legs becoming too cold for the rest of her body. Regina found that she could truly not stand to make a decision, and fell to the floor, cross-legged as she took a bite out of her cold burrito.

Satisfying, but is there more? There has to be more. The cheese could be melty, the sour cream could curdle a bit, the meat could be crispier, saltier.

"Dammit." She muttered, mouth half full. Then it hit her, she needed a second opinion. Whipping out her phone she texted Emma, after three seconds or waiting, which was two seconds too long, she hit the call button and listened, chewing, swallowing, waiting for Emma to-

"Greetings," Emma answered, "haven't heard from you in a while." She joked.

"Do I microwave my burrito or eat it cold?" Regina asked. Straight to the point, as she had no time for weak ass bullshit.

"Neither, wrap it in foil and bake it for ten minutes at 425."

"Sounds time consuming." Regina replied with a small pout.

Emma laughed lightly, "but oh-so worth it." She said. "Do you really trust a microwave to give you the flavor you need?" Regina opened her mouth. "Microwaves are selfish bastards, they'll cheat on you, lie to you, steal from you, but they know you'll never leave. Know why?"

"Why?" Regina smiled.

"I'll tell ya," Emma retorted, "because hot pockets, that's why."

"Toasters." Regina countered,

"No one does that."

"You right."

"Don't let the microwave take this burrito from you, Regina." Emma said, her voice dark. "Don't let them win."

Regina just laughed, placing her burrito on the counter, pulling herself up. "I'll try it your way."

"Well, my way is the best way." Emma told. Regina just spat out a laugh, beginning her quest to preheating the over. "Was that," Emma sputtered, "was that a chuckle? Did you just chuckle at me? When you had the audacity to call me, mind you, on my sickbed, asking questions, throwing your sarcasm around,"

"Emma please, you don't have to be an idiot to know that your way is not the best way." Regina interrupted.

"Blasphemy!"

"The best way is to buy another burrito."

"That wasn't even in the question. That's an entirely adjacent situation."

"She uses big words, too."

"Shush," Emma holds a laugh, "should it have been in the question to simply, _buy another burrito_ , then we wouldn't be having this conversation, you wouldn't have even thought about me, because you'd be eating, and I would be nothing. Just a memory, of someone you saw an hour ago."

"I could always throw the burrito away."

"You would have to be an even worse kind of monster."

"True." Regina nodded.

"Why are we even having this conversation?" Emma exclaimed.

"Goodnight, Emma." Regina told, hanging up the phone just as the oven notified her that it had reached 425, and was ready to harbor her burrito. Once she wrapped it in foil.

 **THISISJUSTABORDERIDONTKNOWHWATTOWRITECANTSPELL**

The next morning, Emma woke to a text, from Regina, telling her that she would never microwave leftover burritos again, and agreeing that in this case, her way was the best way. Emma grinned and instead of sending a written message, she sent a picture of herself with her arm straight up into the air. A victory selfie. Happy with the response, she pressed send and went back to read the other messages, nine from her mother, two from her father, all saying pretty much the same thing.

" _ **Where are you? What's happening? I'm upset."**_

" _ **Hello. Answer your mother."**_

Emma made a face, but the face was internal, and inside her stomach as she let out a sigh and hit the little call button next to her mother's contact.

"Where are you?" Mary Margret answered inhumanly quick. Emma opened her mouth to reply when, "you're at the hospital aren't you. I knew something was off, I, David," she shouted.

"Mom," Emma said, clearing her throat.

"Are you okay? I can get on the first plane out."

"I'm fine, just complications with my kidney. Again." She added.

Her mother sighed, "the new one?"

"No, the original." Emma answered.

"What's going to happen?"

Emma shrugged, "I guess I stay in for a couple of days and see, might have to have it removed."

"Oh, Emma. I'm so sorry, Honey."

"It's fine, Ma." She sighed. "My fault anyways, so I guess this is what I get." Emma laughed. "I'm kidding."

"You're not, but I understand." Mary Margret answered. "I'll talk to the board, see if I can take next year's vacation days early and I'll book a flight, as soon as soon."

"No, Mom, I'm fine, really."

"Emma,"

"Really. I have Neal, and," _Regina,_ she hesitated to say. "Neal." She didn't really have Regina did she?

Didn't she? Regina had come to see her yesterday, spent hours with her, and she hadn't even asked, she just did. What did that mean?

"Are you still with Regina?" MM asked, seeming to read her silence.

"We were never together." Emma said quickly.

"Right."

"We went on a date, though."

"I know, you told me."

"Oh."

"I think you have Regina, too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, sweetie. I'm still coming though, no arguments, gotta go." And she was gone, leaving Emma with nothing but a dial tone, and residual awkwardness from the whole conversation.

"Eh, I hate myself." Emma said quietly, pulling a pillow over her head, trying to sleep more, as if she hadn't been sleeping for a whole ass week. What's a few more hours?

 **CANTDOCOOLBARRIERSLIKEALLTHEGOODWRITERSIHATEMYSELF**

Granny came home today, and she couldn't be more relieved. For the past month, Ruby had been throwing parties like she had just turned twenty-one and could finally obtain alcohol the easy way. It was truly exhausting, and Regina hadn't even enjoyed one of them. Where did Ruby even go to meet all those people? She never left the house? How did she have so many friends? Were those people even her friends? Probably not, honestly. Most parties just get advertised on social media and the vultures flock to free booze and a four dollar entrance fee.

Whatever, but Granny came home today, and Ruby was still hungover, sleeping in the bathtub, so someone needed to clean the mess, and Regina decided it would be her. Of course, not without a price, she thought, and evilly walked into Ruby's room and picked up her purse, pulling out all the money she'd made at the party, splitting it in half, and pocketing it.

As she's flopping down the steps, the doorbell rings. Regina groans, and walks over to it, swinging the door open, expecting to see Granny, but instead is faced with a much less welcoming one.

"No," Regina whined, trying to shut the door, but a foot was shoved into the threshold.


End file.
